If you lived in Laos instead of Yemen, you would:

Health

be 31.1% less likely to be obese

In Yemen, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 3.4 times more doctors per person

Yemen has 1.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 23.8% more access to essential health services

Yemen scores 42 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

see 27.0% less spent on your healthcare

Yemen spends $169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 93.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Yemen, 17.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 19.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Yemen, approximately 33.8 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.

View global rankings →

have 39.1% fewer children

In Yemen, there are approximately 34.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 15.4% more likely to have access to electricity

In Yemen, approximately 84% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 75% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 96% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 3.7 times more likely to have internet access

In Yemen, approximately 17.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 27.7% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Yemen, approximately 75% of people have access to drinking water (89% in urban areas, and 66% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 96% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 93% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 86.3% less on healthcare

Yemen spends 9.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 45.0% less likely to die in a road accident

In Yemen, road accidents kill 29.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 2.1 times more home broadband

Yemen has 1.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

live with 97.2% less strain on fresh water

Yemen withdraws 170% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

use 18.6 times more electricity

Yemen uses 90 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 36.7% less likely to die from air pollution

In Yemen, air pollution causes 109.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 12.9 times more CO2

Yemen emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

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.
Read more

How big is Laos compared to Yemen? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Laos or Yemen. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.