Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 77.6% less likely to be obese

In Nicaragua, 23.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.

live 6.6 years less

In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (73 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 36.2% more money

Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $5,800 as of 2022, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $7,900 as of 2022.

be 23.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Nicaragua, 5.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 3.8% as of 2022.

be 26.5% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Nicaragua, 24.9% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Laos, however, that number is 18.3% as of 2018.

pay a 20.0% lower top tax rate

Nicaragua has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In Laos, the top tax rate is 24.0% as of 2016.

Life

have 20.7% more children

In Nicaragua, there are approximately 16.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 61.5% more likely to die during childbirth

In Nicaragua, approximately 78.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.

be 97.9% more likely to die during infancy

In Nicaragua, approximately 19.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Laos, on the other hand, 37.8 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 16.0% more likely to have access to electricity

In Nicaragua, approximately 86% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 66% in rural areas) as of 2021. In Laos, that number is 100% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 93% in rural areas) as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 50.0% less on education

Nicaragua spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Laos spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 68.6% less on healthcare

Nicaragua spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Laos, that number is 2.7% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: General Directorate of Revenues, The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance.

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 Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.

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