Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 17.2% less likely to be obese

In Bhutan, 6.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.

live 4.2 years less

In Bhutan, the average life expectancy is 72 years (71 years for men, 73 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

be 79.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Bhutan, 5.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2023.

make 40.0% less money

Bhutan has a GDP per capita of $14,000 as of 2022, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $8,400 as of 2023.

be 47.6% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Bhutan, 12.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Laos, however, that number is 18.3% as of 2018.

Life

be 22.8% more likely to be literate

In Bhutan, the literacy rate is 70.9% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 87.1% as of 2021.

have 29.4% more children

In Bhutan, there are approximately 15.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 2.1 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Bhutan, approximately 60.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.

be 39.7% more likely to die during infancy

In Bhutan, approximately 27.0 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 27.9% less likely to have internet access

In Bhutan, approximately 86.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Laos, about 62.0% do as of 2021.

be 11.0% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Bhutan, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Laos, that number is 89% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 67.1% less on education

Bhutan spends 7.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Laos spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 38.6% less on healthcare

Bhutan spends 4.4% 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: The World Factbook.

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 Bhutan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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