Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Laos, you would:
Health
live 6.3 years less
In Laos, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2022.
be 26.4% more likely to be obese
In Laos, 5.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 82.1% less money
Laos has a GDP per capita of $8,400 as of 2023, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $1,500 as of 2023.
be 3.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Laos, 1.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.5% as of 2023.
be 3.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Laos, 18.3% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, that number is 63.0% as of 2014.
Life
have 98.0% more children
In Laos, there are approximately 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are 39.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Laos, approximately 126.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 547.0 women do as of 2020.
be 61.1% more 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, 60.9 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 78.5% 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 22% of people on average (44% in urban areas, and 1% in rural areas) as of 2022.
be 62.6% less likely to have internet access
In Laos, approximately 62.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 23.2% do as of 2021.
be 33.1% less 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 59% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 35% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 17.4% more on education
Laos spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.7% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 51.9% more on healthcare
Laos spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2020.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.