Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Burkina Faso, you would:
Health
live 4.7 years longer
In Burkina Faso, the average life expectancy is 63 years (62 years for men, 65 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 3.6 times more money
Burkina Faso has a GDP per capita of $2,200 as of 2022, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $7,900 as of 2022.
be 24.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Burkina Faso, 5.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 3.8% as of 2022.
be 55.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Burkina Faso, 41.4% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Laos, however, that number is 18.3% as of 2018.
Life
be 52.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Burkina Faso, approximately 264.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.
be 89.3% more likely to be literate
In Burkina Faso, the literacy rate is 46.0% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 87.1% as of 2021.
be 23.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Burkina Faso, approximately 49.4 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.
have 37.9% fewer children
In Burkina Faso, there are approximately 31.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 5.3 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Burkina Faso, approximately 19% of people have electricity access (68% in urban areas, and 2% 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.
be 2.8 times more likely to have internet access
In Burkina Faso, approximately 22.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Laos, about 62.0% do as of 2021.
be 13.1% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Burkina Faso, approximately 78% of people have improved drinking water access (95% in urban areas, and 71% 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 58.2% less on education
Burkina Faso spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Laos spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 59.7% less on healthcare
Burkina Faso spends 6.7% 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
How big is Laos compared to Burkina Faso? See an in-depth size comparison.