Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Syria, you would:
Health
be 72.2% less likely to be obese
In Syria, 33.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
live 3.3 years less
In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
have 78.2% fewer doctors per person
Syria has 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 18.8% less access to essential health services
Syria scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
be 7.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 91.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
make 2.2 times more money
Syria has a GDP per capita of $1,057 as of 2022, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
be 5.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Syria, approximately 20.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 19.9% less likely to be literate
In Syria, the literacy rate is 94.4% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 53.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Syria, approximately 17.7 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 40.8% more likely to have internet access
In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 50.9% less on healthcare
Syria spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 45.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Syria, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 96.1% less strain on fresh water
Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
use 94.9% more electricity
Syria uses 854 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.
find 60.3% less home broadband
Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
Environment
be 16.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Syria, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.6 times more CO2
Syria emits 1.3 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 (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Syria vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.