Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Laos instead of Virgin Islands, you would:

Health

live 11.5 years less

In Virgin Islands, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

be 89.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Virgin Islands, 11.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.

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make 94.8% less money

Virgin Islands has a GDP per capita of $44,321 as of 2022, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.

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Life

have 88.6% more children

In Virgin Islands, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 3.6 times more likely to die during infancy

In Virgin Islands, approximately 7.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Laos, on the other hand, 27.2 children do as of 2024.

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Infrastructure

find 73.0% less home broadband

Virgin Islands has 10.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: Virgin Islands vs. Laos

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Laos is 60.7% cheaper than Virgin Islands overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Virgin Islands is about 124 times smaller than Laos.
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Moving from Virgin Islands to Laos · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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Laos: At a glance

Laos is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 230,800 sq km. Modern-day Laos has its roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, established in the 14th century under King FA NGUM. For 300 years Lan Xang had influence reaching into present-day Cambodia and Thailand, as well as over all of what is now Laos. After centuries of gradual decline, Laos came under the domination of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. In 1975, the communist Pathet Lao took control of the government ending a six-century-old monarchy and instituting a strict socialist regime closely aligned to Vietnam. A gradual, limited return to private enterprise and the liberalization of foreign investment laws began in 1988. Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997 and the WTO in 2013.
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How big is Laos compared to Virgin Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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