Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in New Caledonia instead of Laos, you would:

Health

live 10.7 years longer

In Laos, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022. In New Caledonia, that number is 79 years (75 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 4.5 times more money

Laos has a GDP per capita of $7,900 as of 2022, while in New Caledonia, the GDP per capita is $35,700 as of 2021.

be 2.9 times more likely to be unemployed

In Laos, 3.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In New Caledonia, that number is 11.0% as of 2022.

Life

be 11.3% more likely to be literate

In Laos, the literacy rate is 87.1% as of 2021. In New Caledonia, it is 96.9% as of 2015.

be 86.8% 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 New Caledonia, on the other hand, 5.0 children do as of 2020.

have 30.3% fewer children

In Laos, there are approximately 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Caledonia, there are 13.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 32.3% more likely to have internet access

In Laos, approximately 62.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In New Caledonia, about 82.0% do as of 2021.

be 11.8% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Laos, approximately 89% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In New Caledonia, 99% of people do as of 2020.

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

New Caledonia: At a glance

New Caledonia is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 18,275 sq km. Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island became a French possession in 1853. It served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864. Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s ended in the 1998 Noumea Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 years will transfer an increasing amount of governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia. The agreement also commits France to conduct a referendum between 2014 and 2018 to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence.
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How big is New Caledonia compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.

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