Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 5.7 years less

In Laos, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022. In Mali, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2022.

be 62.3% more likely to be obese

In Laos, 5.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Mali, that number is 8.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 70.2% less money

Laos has a GDP per capita of $8,400 as of 2023, while in Mali, the GDP per capita is $2,500 as of 2023.

be 2.6 times more likely to be unemployed

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

be 2.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Laos, 18.3% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Mali, however, that number is 44.6% as of 2021.

Life

have 2.1 times more children

In Laos, there are approximately 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mali, there are 41.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

be 3.5 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Laos, approximately 126.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Mali, 440.0 women do as of 2020.

be 59.2% less likely to be literate

In Laos, the literacy rate is 87.1% as of 2021. In Mali, it is 35.5% as of 2018.

be 60.5% 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 Mali, on the other hand, 60.6 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 47.0% 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 Mali, that number is 53% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 18% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 45.2% less likely to have internet access

In Laos, approximately 62.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Mali, about 34.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 91.3% more on education

Laos spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Mali spends 4.4% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 59.3% more on healthcare

Laos spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Mali, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Mali: At a glance

Mali is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 1,220,190 sq km. The Sudanese Republic and Senegal became independent of France in 1960 as the Mali Federation. When Senegal withdrew after only a few months, what formerly made up the Sudanese Republic was renamed Mali. Rule by dictatorship was brought to a close in 1991 by a military coup that ushered in a period of democratic rule. President Alpha KONARE won Mali's first two democratic presidential elections in 1992 and 1997. In keeping with Mali's two-term constitutional limit, he stepped down in 2002 and was succeeded by Amadou Toumani TOURE, who was elected to a second term in 2007 elections that were widely judged to be free and fair. Malian returnees from Libya in 2011 exacerbated tensions in northern Mali, and Tuareg ethnic militias started a rebellion in January 2012. Low- and mid-level soldiers, frustrated with the poor handling of the rebellion overthrew TOURE on 22 March. Intensive mediation efforts led by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) returned power to a civilian administration in April with the appointment of interim President Dioncounda TRAORE. The post-coup chaos led to rebels expelling the Malian military from the three northern regions of the country and allowed Islamic militants to set up strongholds. Hundreds of thousands of northern Malians fled the violence to southern Mali and neighboring countries, exacerbating regional food insecurity in host communities. An international military intervention to retake the three northern regions began in January 2013 and within a month most of the north had been retaken. In a democratic presidential election conducted in July and August of 2013, Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA was elected president in the second round.
Read more

How big is Mali compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Mali.or Laos It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.