Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Nepal 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 Nepal, that number is 72 years (72 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2022.

be 22.6% less likely to be obese

In Laos, 5.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Nepal, that number is 4.1% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 49.4% less money

Laos has a GDP per capita of $7,900 as of 2022, while in Nepal, the GDP per capita is $4,000 as of 2022.

be 2.9 times more likely to be unemployed

In Laos, 3.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Nepal, that number is 10.9% as of 2022.

be 37.7% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Laos, 18.3% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Nepal, however, that number is 25.2% as of 2011.

Life

be 33.5% 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 Nepal, on the other hand, 25.1 children do as of 2022.

be 38.1% more likely to die during childbirth

In Laos, approximately 126.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Nepal, 174.0 women do as of 2020.

be 18.3% less likely to be literate

In Laos, the literacy rate is 87.1% as of 2021. In Nepal, it is 71.2% as of 2021.

have 11.5% fewer children

In Laos, there are approximately 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nepal, there are 17.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 10.1% 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 2021. In Nepal, that number is 90% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2021.

be 16.1% less likely to have internet access

In Laos, approximately 62.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Nepal, about 52.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 82.6% more on education

Laos spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Nepal spends 4.2% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 92.6% more on healthcare

Laos spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Nepal, that number is 5.2% of GDP as of 2020.

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

Nepal: At a glance

Nepal is a sovereign country in South Asia, with a total land area of approximately 143,351 sq km. In 1951, the Nepali monarch ended the century-old system of rule by hereditary premiers and instituted a cabinet system of government. Reforms in 1990 established a multiparty democracy within the framework of a constitutional monarchy. An insurgency led by Maoists broke out in 1996. The ensuing 10-year civil war between Maoist and government forces witnessed the dissolution of the cabinet and parliament and assumption of absolute power by the king in 2002. Several weeks of mass protests in April 2006 were followed by several months of peace negotiations between the Maoists and government officials, and culminated in a late 2006 peace accord and the promulgation of an interim constitution. Following a nationwide election in April 2008, the newly formed Constituent Assembly (CA) declared Nepal a federal democratic republic and abolished the monarchy at its first meeting the following month. The CA elected the country's first president in July. Between 2008 and 2011 there were four different coalition governments, led twice by the United Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist, which received a plurality of votes in the 2008 CA election, and twice by the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist-Leninist (UML). After the CA failed to draft a constitution by the May 2012 deadline set by the Supreme Court, then Prime Minister Baburam BHATTARAI dissolved the CA. Months of negotiations ensued until March 2013 when the major political parties agreed to create an interim government headed by then Chief Justice Khil Raj REGMI with a mandate to hold elections for a new CA. Elections were held in November 2013, in which and the Nepali Congress won the largest share of the seats in the CA and in February 2014 formed a coalition government with the second place UML and with Nepali Congress President Sushil KOIRALA as prime minister
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