Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 13.4 years longer

In Laos, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022. In Germany, that number is 82 years (79 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2022.

be 4.2 times more likely to be obese

In Laos, 5.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Germany, that number is 22.3% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 7.4 times more money

Laos has a GDP per capita of $8,400 as of 2023, while in Germany, the GDP per capita is $61,900 as of 2023.

be 19.1% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Laos, 18.3% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Germany, however, that number is 14.8% as of 2021.

be 2.6 times more likely to be unemployed

In Laos, 1.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Germany, that number is 3.0% as of 2023.

pay a 97.9% higher top tax rate

Laos has a top tax rate of 24.0% as of 2016. In Germany, the top tax rate is 47.5% as of 2016.

Life

be 96.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In Laos, approximately 126.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Germany, 4.0 women do as of 2020.

be 91.6% 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 Germany, on the other hand, 3.2 children do as of 2022.

have 55.1% fewer children

In Laos, there are approximately 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Germany, there are 8.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 46.8% more likely to have internet access

In Laos, approximately 62.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Germany, about 91.0% 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 Germany, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 2.0 times more on education

Laos spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Germany spends 4.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 4.7 times more on healthcare

Laos spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Germany, that number is 12.8% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt).

Germany: At a glance

Germany is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 348,672 sq km. As Europe's largest economy and second most populous nation (after Russia), Germany is a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed Germany in two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century and left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key Western economic and security organizations, the EC, which became the EU, and NATO, while the communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed for German unification in 1990. Since then, Germany has expended considerable funds to bring Eastern productivity and wages up to Western standards. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU countries introduced a common European exchange currency, the euro.
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