Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
be 74.3% less likely to be obese
In Sweden, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.
live 14.5 years less
In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 89.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Sweden, 6.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Laos, that number is 0.7% as of 2017.
pay a 58.0% lower top tax rate
Sweden has a top tax rate of 57.1% as of 2016. In Laos, the top tax rate is 24.0% as of 2016.
make 84.6% less money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $50,700 as of 2020, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $7,800 as of 2020.
Life
have 93.0% more children
In Sweden, there are approximately 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
be 46.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sweden, approximately 4.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Laos, 185.0 women do as of 2017.
be 16.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Sweden, approximately 2.3 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 64.2% less likely to have internet access
In Sweden, approximately 95.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Laos, about 34.0% do as of 2020.
be 11.0% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Sweden, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Laos, that number is 89% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 61.8% less on education
Sweden spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. Laos spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2014.
spend 76.1% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 10.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Laos, that number is 2.6% of GDP as of 2019.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Skatteverket.
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.