Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 1.8 years less

In Burma, the average life expectancy is 70 years (68 years for men, 72 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 88.1% more money

Burma has a GDP per capita of $4,200 as of 2022, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $7,900 as of 2022.

be 26.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Burma, 24.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Laos, however, that number is 18.3% as of 2018.

be 29.1% more likely to be unemployed

In Burma, 3.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 3.8% as of 2022.

Life

be 29.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Burma, approximately 179.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.

have 26.1% more children

In Burma, there are approximately 15.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 14.7% more likely to die during infancy

In Burma, approximately 32.9 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 38.1% more likely to have access to electricity

In Burma, approximately 72% of people have electricity access (94% in urban areas, and 63% 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 40.9% more likely to have internet access

In Burma, approximately 44.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Laos, about 62.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 27.0% less on healthcare

Burma spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Laos, that number is 2.7% of GDP as of 2020.

spend 15.0% more on education

Burma spends 2.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Laos spends 2.3% of total GDP on education 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 Burma? See an in-depth size comparison.

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