Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Japan instead of Laos, you would:
Health
live 16.7 years longer
In Laos, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022. In Japan, that number is 85 years (82 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2022.
be 18.9% less likely to be obese
In Laos, 5.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Japan, that number is 4.3% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 5.3 times more money
Laos has a GDP per capita of $7,900 as of 2022, while in Japan, the GDP per capita is $41,600 as of 2022.
be 31.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Laos, 3.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Japan, that number is 2.6% as of 2022.
be 12.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Laos, 18.3% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Japan, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2013.
pay a 2.3 times higher top tax rate
Laos has a top tax rate of 24.0% as of 2016. In Japan, the top tax rate is 56.0% 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 Japan, 4.0 women do as of 2020.
be 95.0% 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 Japan, on the other hand, 1.9 children do as of 2022.
have 65.2% fewer children
In Laos, there are approximately 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Japan, there are 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 33.9% more likely to have internet access
In Laos, approximately 62.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Japan, about 83.0% do as of 2021.
be 11.6% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Laos, approximately 89% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In Japan, 99% of people do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 47.8% more on education
Laos spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Japan spends 3.4% 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 Japan, that number is 10.9% of GDP as of 2020.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, National Tax Agency Japan.
Japan: At a glance
How big is Japan compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.