Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 4.4 years longer

In Laos, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022. In Kazakhstan, that number is 73 years (67 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2022.

be 4.0 times more likely to be obese

In Laos, 5.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Kazakhstan, that number is 21.0% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 4.2 times more money

Laos has a GDP per capita of $8,400 as of 2023, while in Kazakhstan, the GDP per capita is $35,500 as of 2023.

be 71.6% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Laos, 18.3% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Kazakhstan, however, that number is 5.2% as of 2022.

pay a 58.3% lower top tax rate

Laos has a top tax rate of 24.0% as of 2016. In Kazakhstan, the top tax rate is 10.0% as of 2016.

be 4.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In Laos, 1.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Kazakhstan, that number is 4.8% as of 2023.

Life

be 89.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Laos, approximately 126.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Kazakhstan, 13.0 women do as of 2020.

be 14.6% more likely to be literate

In Laos, the literacy rate is 87.1% as of 2021. In Kazakhstan, it is 99.8% as of 2018.

be 49.2% 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 Kazakhstan, on the other hand, 19.2 children do as of 2022.

have 13.1% fewer children

In Laos, there are approximately 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kazakhstan, there are 17.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 38.7% more likely to have internet access

In Laos, approximately 62.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Kazakhstan, about 86.0% do as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 95.7% more on education

Laos spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Kazakhstan spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 40.7% more on healthcare

Laos spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Kazakhstan, that number is 3.8% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Tax Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan: At a glance

Kazakhstan is a sovereign country in Central Asia, with a total land area of approximately 2,699,700 sq km. Ethnic Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes who migrated to the region by the 13th century, were rarely united as a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the 18th century, and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. During the 1950s and 1960s agricultural "Virgin Lands" program, Soviet citizens were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstan's northern pastures. This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also some other deported nationalities) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled non-ethnic Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Non-Muslim ethnic minorities departed Kazakhstan in large numbers from the mid-1990s through the mid-2000s and a national program has repatriated about a million ethnic Kazakhs back to Kazakhstan. These trends have allowed Kazakhs to become the titular majority again. This dramatic demographic shift has also undermined the previous religious diversity and made the country more than 70 percent Muslim. Kazakhstan's economy is larger than those of all the other Central Asian states largely due to the country's vast natural resources. Current issues include: developing a cohesive national identity; managing Islamic revivalism; expanding the development of the country's vast energy resources and exporting them to world markets; diversifying the economy outside the oil, gas, and mining sectors; enhancing Kazakhstan's economic competitiveness; developing a multiparty parliament and advancing political and social reform; and strengthening relations with neighboring states and other foreign powers.
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How big is Kazakhstan compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.

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