Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Tonga, you would:
Health
be 87.6% less likely to be obese
In Tonga, 73.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
live 3.8 years less
In Tonga, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 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 75.9% less spent on your healthcare
Tonga spends $512 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 67.4% fewer doctors per person
Tonga has 10.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
Economy
be 40.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Tonga, 2.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
be 27.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Tonga, 20.6% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Laos, however, that number is 15.0% as of 2024.
make 64.5% less money
Tonga has a GDP per capita of $6,547 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
be 67.2% more likely to die during childbirth
In Tonga, approximately 67.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 24.0% less likely to be literate
In Tonga, the literacy rate is 99.5% as of 2023. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 3.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Tonga, approximately 7.8 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.
Expenditures
spend 76.8% less on education
Tonga spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 81.9% less on healthcare
Tonga spends 7.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 92.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Tonga, road accidents kill 8.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 66.7% less home broadband
Tonga has 8.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
Environment
be 2.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Tonga, air pollution causes 24.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.1 times more CO2
Tonga emits 1.6 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Tonga vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Tonga? See an in-depth size comparison.