Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 79.4% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 25.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.
live 11.5 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 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 66.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 11.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 3.8% as of 2022.
be 28.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Costa Rica, 25.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Laos, however, that number is 18.3% as of 2018.
make 64.3% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $22,100 as of 2022, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $7,900 as of 2022.
pay a 60.0% higher top tax rate
Costa Rica has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In Laos, the top tax rate is 24.0% as of 2016.
Life
have 83.3% more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Costa Rica, approximately 22.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.
be 11.1% less likely to be literate
In Costa Rica, the literacy rate is 98.0% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 87.1% as of 2021.
be 4.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Costa Rica, approximately 8.4 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.
Basic Needs
be 25.3% less likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Laos, about 62.0% do as of 2021.
be 11.2% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Costa Rica, 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 65.7% less on education
Costa Rica spends 6.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Laos spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 65.8% less on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 7.9% 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, Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica.
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.