Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Brunei instead of Laos, you would:
Health
live 10.2 years longer
In Laos, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022. In Brunei, that number is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022.
be 2.7 times more likely to be obese
In Laos, 5.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Brunei, that number is 14.1% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 7.4 times more money
Laos has a GDP per capita of $7,900 as of 2022, while in Brunei, the GDP per capita is $58,700 as of 2022.
be 16.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Laos, 3.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Brunei, that number is 4.5% as of 2022.
Life
be 65.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Laos, approximately 126.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Brunei, 44.0 women do as of 2020.
be 12.1% more likely to be literate
In Laos, the literacy rate is 87.1% as of 2021. In Brunei, it is 97.6% as of 2021.
be 72.2% 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 Brunei, on the other hand, 10.5 children do as of 2022.
have 20.2% fewer children
In Laos, there are approximately 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Brunei, there are 15.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 58.1% more likely to have internet access
In Laos, approximately 62.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Brunei, about 98.0% do as of 2021.
be 12.5% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Laos, approximately 89% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In Brunei, 100% of people do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 11.1% less on healthcare
Laos spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Brunei, that number is 2.4% of GDP as of 2020.
spend 91.3% more on education
Laos spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Brunei spends 4.4% of total GDP on education as of 2016.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
Brunei: At a glance
How big is Brunei compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.