Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 82.6% less likely to be obese

In Iraq, 30.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.

live 5.0 years less

In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 73 years (71 years for men, 75 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 92.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Iraq, 15.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2023.

be 20.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Iraq, 23.0% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Laos, however, that number is 18.3% as of 2018.

make 33.3% less money

Iraq has a GDP per capita of $12,600 as of 2023, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $8,400 as of 2023.

pay a 60.0% higher top tax rate

Iraq has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In Laos, the top tax rate is 24.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 73.9% more likely to be literate

In Iraq, the literacy rate is 50.1% as of 2018. In Laos, it is 87.1% as of 2021.

be 65.8% more likely to die during childbirth

In Iraq, approximately 76.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.

be 92.6% more likely to die during infancy

In Iraq, approximately 19.6 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 16.5% fewer children

In Iraq, there are approximately 23.7 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 26.5% more likely to have internet access

In Iraq, approximately 49.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Laos, about 62.0% do as of 2021.

be 10.6% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Iraq, approximately 99% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 97% 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 51.1% less on education

Iraq spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2016. Laos spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 47.1% less on healthcare

Iraq spends 5.1% 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.

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 Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.

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