Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 10.2 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
be 38.4% less likely to be obese
In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
see 2.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 92.6% more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
be 42.5% less likely to die by suicide
Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 93.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
be 72.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Somalia, 55.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Laos, however, that number is 15.0% as of 2024.
make 3.5 times more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
be 80.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Somalia, approximately 563.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 39.8% more likely to be literate
In Somalia, the literacy rate is 54.1% as of 2022. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 58.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Somalia, approximately 65.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Laos, on the other hand, 27.2 children do as of 2024.
have 50.6% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 91.8% more likely to have access to electricity
In Somalia, approximately 50% of people have electricity access (79% in urban areas, and 24% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 96% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.3 times more likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
be 27.3% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Somalia, approximately 75% of people have access to drinking water (84% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 96% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 93% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 64.4% less on healthcare
Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 18.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.8 times more home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
live with 80.5% less strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 67.0 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Somalia vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.