Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Japan, you would:
Health
live 16.7 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 85 years (82 years for men, 88 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 23.3% more likely to be obese
In Japan, 4.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.
Economy
be 54.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Japan, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2023.
pay a 57.1% lower top tax rate
Japan has a top tax rate of 56.0% as of 2016. In Laos, the top tax rate is 24.0% as of 2016.
make 81.9% less money
Japan has a GDP per capita of $46,300 as of 2023, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $8,400 as of 2023.
be 13.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Japan, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2013. In Laos, however, that number is 18.3% as of 2018.
Life
have 2.9 times more children
In Japan, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 31.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Japan, approximately 4.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.
be 19.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Japan, approximately 1.9 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 Japan, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Laos, about 62.0% do as of 2021.
be 10.4% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Japan, approximately 99% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In Laos, 89% of people do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 32.4% less on education
Japan spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Laos spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 75.2% less on healthcare
Japan spends 10.9% 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, National Tax Agency Japan.
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.