Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 14.9 years longer

In Laos, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022. In Australia, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

be 5.5 times more likely to be obese

In Laos, 5.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Australia, that number is 29.0% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 7.1 times more money

Laos has a GDP per capita of $8,400 as of 2023, while in Australia, the GDP per capita is $59,500 as of 2023.

be 26.8% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Laos, 18.3% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Australia, however, that number is 13.4% as of 2020.

be 3.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In Laos, 1.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Australia, that number is 3.7% as of 2023.

pay a 87.5% higher top tax rate

Laos has a top tax rate of 24.0% as of 2016. In Australia, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 97.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Laos, approximately 126.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Australia, 3.0 women do as of 2020.

be 92.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Laos, approximately 37.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Australia, on the other hand, 3.0 children do as of 2022.

have 38.4% fewer children

In Laos, there are approximately 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Australia, there are 12.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 54.8% more likely to have internet access

In Laos, approximately 62.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Australia, about 96.0% do as of 2021.

be 12.6% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Laos, approximately 89% of people have improved drinking water access (97% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Australia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 2.7 times more on education

Laos spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Australia spends 6.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 4.0 times more on healthcare

Laos spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Australia, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Australian Taxation Office.

Australia: At a glance

Australia is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 7,682,300 sq km. Prehistoric settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia at least 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession of the east coast in the name of Great Britain (all of Australia was claimed as British territory in 1829 with the creation of the colony of Western Australia). Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The new country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the Allied effort in World Wars I and II. In recent decades, Australia has become an internationally competitive, advanced market economy due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s and its location in one of the fastest growing regions of the world economy. Long-term concerns include aging of the population, pressure on infrastructure, and environmental issues such as floods, droughts, and bushfires. Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth, making it particularly vulnerable to the challenges of climate change. Australia is home to 10 per cent of the world's biodiversity, and a great number of its flora and fauna exist nowhere else in the world. In January 2013, Australia assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2013-14 term.
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How big is Australia compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.

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