Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Laos instead of Singapore, you would:

Health

be 13.1% less likely to be obese

In Singapore, 6.1% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.

live 18.2 years less

In Singapore, the average life expectancy is 86 years (84 years for men, 89 years for women) as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 68.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Singapore, 2.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Laos, that number is 0.7% as of 2017.

make 91.6% less money

Singapore has a GDP per capita of $93,400 as of 2020, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $7,800 as of 2020.

Life

have 2.3 times more children

In Singapore, there are approximately 9.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

be 23.1 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Singapore, approximately 8.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Laos, 185.0 women do as of 2017.

be 13.1% less likely to be literate

In Singapore, the literacy rate is 97.5% as of 2019. In Laos, it is 84.7% as of 2015.

be 24.4 times more likely to die during infancy

In Singapore, approximately 1.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Laos, on the other hand, 37.8 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 63.0% less likely to have internet access

In Singapore, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Laos, about 34.0% do as of 2020.

be 11.2% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Singapore, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In Laos, 89% of people do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 36.6% less on healthcare

Singapore spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Laos, that number is 2.6% of GDP as of 2019.

spend 16.0% more on education

Singapore spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Laos spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2014.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Laos: At a glance

Laos is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 230,800 sq km. Modern-day Laos has its roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, established in the 14th century under King FA NGUM. For 300 years Lan Xang had influence reaching into present-day Cambodia and Thailand, as well as over all of what is now Laos. After centuries of gradual decline, Laos came under the domination of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. In 1975, the communist Pathet Lao took control of the government ending a six-century-old monarchy and instituting a strict socialist regime closely aligned to Vietnam. A gradual, limited return to private enterprise and the liberalization of foreign investment laws began in 1988. Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997 and the WTO in 2013.
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How big is Laos compared to Singapore? See an in-depth size comparison.

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