Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 0.9 years longer

In India, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022.

be 35.9% more likely to be obese

In India, 3.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 71.7% less likely to be unemployed

In India, 4.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2023.

be 16.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In India, 21.9% live below the poverty line as of 2011. In Laos, however, that number is 18.3% as of 2018.

pay a 32.5% lower top tax rate

India has a top tax rate of 35.5% as of 2016. In Laos, the top tax rate is 24.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 17.1% more likely to be literate

In India, the literacy rate is 74.4% as of 2018. In Laos, it is 87.1% as of 2021.

have 22.2% more children

In India, there are approximately 16.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 22.3% more likely to die during childbirth

In India, approximately 103.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.

be 24.6% more likely to die during infancy

In India, approximately 30.3 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 34.8% more likely to have internet access

In India, approximately 46.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Laos, about 62.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 48.9% less on education

India spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. 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, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Finance, Government of India.

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 India? See an in-depth size comparison.

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