Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Turkey, you would:
Health
be 68.1% less likely to be obese
In Turkey, 28.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
live 8.2 years less
In Turkey, the average life expectancy is 77 years (75 years for men, 80 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 93.0% less spent on your healthcare
Turkey spends $1,769 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 85.2% fewer doctors per person
Turkey has 22.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 31.6% less access to essential health services
Turkey scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
be 70.3% more likely to die by suicide
Turkey has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 86.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Turkey, 8.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
be 15.4% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Turkey, 13.0% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Laos, however, that number is 15.0% as of 2024.
make 87.5% less money
Turkey has a GDP per capita of $18,599 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
have 90.3% more children
In Turkey, there are approximately 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 7.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Turkey, approximately 15.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 22.2% less likely to be literate
In Turkey, the literacy rate is 97.3% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 3.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Turkey, approximately 8.0 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 26.9% less likely to have internet access
In Turkey, approximately 89.8% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 60.3% less on education
Turkey spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 68.9% less on healthcare
Turkey spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Turkey, road accidents kill 6.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 90.0% less strain on fresh water
Turkey withdraws 48% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
find 88.4% less home broadband
Turkey has 23.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
use 55.4% less electricity
Turkey uses 3,731 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 37.7% less CO2
Turkey emits 5.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 76.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In Turkey, air pollution causes 39.0 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: Turkey vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Turkey? See an in-depth size comparison.