Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 4.2 years longer

In Laos, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022. In Mexico, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.

be 5.5 times more likely to be obese

In Laos, 5.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Mexico, that number is 28.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 2.7 times more money

Laos has a GDP per capita of $8,400 as of 2023, while in Mexico, the GDP per capita is $22,400 as of 2023.

be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed

In Laos, 1.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Mexico, that number is 2.8% as of 2023.

be 98.4% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Laos, 18.3% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Mexico, however, that number is 36.3% as of 2022.

pay a 45.8% higher top tax rate

Laos has a top tax rate of 24.0% as of 2016. In Mexico, the top tax rate is 35.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 53.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Laos, approximately 126.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Mexico, 59.0 women do as of 2020.

be 68.6% 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 Mexico, on the other hand, 11.9 children do as of 2022.

have 27.8% fewer children

In Laos, there are approximately 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mexico, there are 14.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 22.6% more likely to have internet access

In Laos, approximately 62.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Mexico, about 76.0% do as of 2021.

be 12.3% 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 Mexico, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 87.0% more on education

Laos spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Mexico spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2018.

spend 2.3 times more on healthcare

Laos spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Mexico, that number is 6.2% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Servicio de Administración Tributaria, SHCP.

Mexico: At a glance

Mexico is a sovereign country in North America, with a total land area of approximately 1,943,945 sq km. The site of several advanced Amerindian civilizations - including the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec - Mexico was conquered and colonized by Spain in the early 16th century. Administered as the Viceroyalty of New Spain for three centuries, it achieved its independence early in the 19th century. The global financial crisis beginning in late 2008 caused a massive economic downturn the following year, although growth returned quickly in 2010. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of the population, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely indigenous population in the impoverished southern states. The elections held in 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that an opposition candidate - Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) - defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He was succeeded in 2006 by another PAN candidate Felipe CALDERON, but Enrique PENA NIETO regained the presidency for the PRI in 2012. Since 2007, Mexico's powerful drug-trafficking organizations have engaged in bloody feuding, resulting in tens of thousands of drug-related homicides.
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How big is Mexico compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.

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