Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Timor-Leste, you would:
Health
live 1.3 years longer
In Timor-Leste, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 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 2.5 times more likely to be obese
In Timor-Leste, 3.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
see 73.3% less spent on your healthcare
Timor-Leste spends $461 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 56.0% fewer doctors per person
Timor-Leste has 7.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
be 28.7% more likely to die by suicide
Timor-Leste has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 25.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Timor-Leste, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
make 73.4% more money
Timor-Leste has a GDP per capita of $1,341 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
be 41.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Timor-Leste, approximately 192.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 21.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Timor-Leste, approximately 34.6 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 61.0% more likely to have internet access
In Timor-Leste, approximately 40.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 76.5% less on education
Timor-Leste spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 86.1% less on healthcare
Timor-Leste spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 36.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Timor-Leste, road accidents kill 12.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 272.0 times more home broadband
Timor-Leste has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
live with 83.1% less strain on fresh water
Timor-Leste withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
Environment
be 13.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In Timor-Leste, air pollution causes 61.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
emit 6.7 times more CO2
Timor-Leste emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Timor-Leste vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Timor-Leste? See an in-depth size comparison.