Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of China, you would:
Health
be 14.5% less likely to be obese
In China, 6.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.
live 7.9 years less
In China, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2020. In Laos, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
be 23.3% less likely to be unemployed
In China, 5.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 3.8% as of 2022.
pay a 46.7% lower top tax rate
China has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2016. In Laos, the top tax rate is 24.0% as of 2016.
make 56.6% less money
China has a GDP per capita of $18,200 as of 2022, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $7,900 as of 2022.
Life
have 94.1% more children
In China, there are approximately 10.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In China, approximately 23.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.
be 10.0% less likely to be literate
In China, the literacy rate is 96.8% as of 2018. In Laos, it is 87.1% as of 2021.
be 5.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In China, approximately 6.8 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 15.1% less likely to have internet access
In China, approximately 73.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Laos, about 62.0% do as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 36.1% less on education
China spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Laos spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 51.8% less on healthcare
China spends 5.6% 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: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, State Administration of Taxation.
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to China? See an in-depth size comparison.