Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of United States, you would:
Health
be 85.4% less likely to be obese
In United States, 36.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.
live 14.6 years less
In United States, the average life expectancy is 80 years (78 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2020. In Laos, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2020.
Economy
be 84.1% less likely to be unemployed
In United States, 4.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Laos, that number is 0.7% as of 2017.
pay a 39.4% lower top tax rate
United States has a top tax rate of 39.6% as of 2016. In Laos, the top tax rate is 24.0% as of 2016.
make 87.6% less money
United States has a GDP per capita of $59,800 as of 2017, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $7,400 as of 2017.
be 45.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In United States, 15.1% live below the poverty line as of 2010. In Laos, however, that number is 22.0% as of 2013.
Life
have 80.6% more children
In United States, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In Laos, there are 22.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.
be 9.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In United States, approximately 19.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Laos, 185.0 women do as of 2017.
be 8.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In United States, approximately 5.3 children die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In Laos, on the other hand, 45.6 children do as of 2020.
Basic Needs
be 12.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In United States, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2016. In Laos, 87% of the population do as of 2016.
be 70.8% less likely to have internet access
In United States, approximately 87.3% of the population has internet access as of 2018. In Laos, about 25.5% do as of 2018.
be 17.1% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In United States, approximately 99% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2017. In Laos, that number is 82% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 77% in rural areas) as of 2017.
Expenditures
spend 42.0% less on education
United States spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2014. Laos spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2014.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Internal Revenue Service.
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to United States? See an in-depth size comparison.