Quality of life comparison
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 75.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 3.8% as of 2022.
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 14.1% less money
Iraq has a GDP per capita of $9,200 as of 2022, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $7,900 as of 2022.
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
How big is Laos compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.