Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burma instead of Laos, you would:
Health
live 1.8 years longer
In Laos, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022. In Burma, that number is 70 years (68 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
make 36.9% less money
Laos has a GDP per capita of $8,400 as of 2023, while in Burma, the GDP per capita is $5,300 as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Laos, 1.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Burma, that number is 2.8% as of 2023.
be 35.5% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Laos, 18.3% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Burma, however, that number is 24.8% as of 2017.
Life
be 12.8% 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 Burma, on the other hand, 32.9 children do as of 2022.
be 42.1% more likely to die during childbirth
In Laos, approximately 126.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Burma, 179.0 women do as of 2020.
have 20.7% fewer children
In Laos, there are approximately 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burma, there are 15.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 26.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Laos, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 93% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Burma, that number is 74% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 63% in rural areas) as of 2022.
be 29.0% less likely to have internet access
In Laos, approximately 62.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Burma, about 44.0% do as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 13.0% less on education
Laos spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Burma spends 2.0% of total GDP on education as of 2019.
spend 37.0% more on healthcare
Laos spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Burma, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2020.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
Burma: At a glance
How big is Burma compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.