Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of Laos, you would:
Health
live 13.5 years longer
In Laos, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022. In Puerto Rico, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
make 4.3 times more money
Laos has a GDP per capita of $7,900 as of 2022, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $34,300 as of 2022.
be 57.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Laos, 3.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2022.
pay a 37.5% higher top tax rate
Laos has a top tax rate of 24.0% as of 2016. In Puerto Rico, the top tax rate is 33.0% as of 2016.
Life
be 73.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Laos, approximately 126.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Puerto Rico, 34.0 women do as of 2020.
be 84.0% 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 Puerto Rico, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.
have 60.6% fewer children
In Laos, there are approximately 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 25.3% more likely to have internet access
In Laos, approximately 62.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, about 77.7% do as of 2021.
be 12.6% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Laos, approximately 89% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In Puerto Rico, 100% of people do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 56.5% more on education
Laos spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Puerto Rico spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Puerto Rican Department of Treasury.
Puerto Rico: At a glance
How big is Puerto Rico compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.