Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
be 47.6% less likely to be obese
In Sweden, 17.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
be 66.9% less likely to die by suicide
Sweden has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 14.8 years less
In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
see 98.4% less spent on your healthcare
Sweden spends $7,770 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 92.5% fewer doctors per person
Sweden has 44.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 38.8% less access to essential health services
Sweden scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
be 86.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Sweden, 8.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
make 96.3% less money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $63,133 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.3 times more children
In Sweden, there are approximately 9.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 28.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sweden, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 13.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Sweden, approximately 2.0 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.
Basic Needs
be 31.5% less likely to have internet access
In Sweden, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 83.2% less on education
Sweden spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 88.1% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 11.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 7.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Sweden, road accidents kill 2.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 93.3% less home broadband
Sweden has 40.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
live with 33.8% more strain on fresh water
Sweden withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
use 86.4% less electricity
Sweden uses 12,226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 8.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Sweden, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sweden vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.