Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 1.8 years longer

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

be 66.0% more likely to be obese

In Laos, 5.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Senegal, that number is 8.8% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 47.6% less money

Laos has a GDP per capita of $8,400 as of 2023, while in Senegal, the GDP per capita is $4,400 as of 2023.

be 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed

In Laos, 1.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Senegal, that number is 2.9% as of 2023.

be 2.6 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Laos, 18.3% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Senegal, however, that number is 46.7% as of 2011.

pay a 66.7% higher top tax rate

Laos has a top tax rate of 24.0% as of 2016. In Senegal, the top tax rate is 40.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 14.1% 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 Senegal, on the other hand, 32.4 children do as of 2022.

have 52.5% more children

In Laos, there are approximately 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Senegal, there are 30.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 2.1 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Laos, approximately 126.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Senegal, 261.0 women do as of 2020.

be 35.4% less likely to be literate

In Laos, the literacy rate is 87.1% as of 2021. In Senegal, it is 56.3% as of 2021.

Basic Needs

be 32.1% 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 2022. In Senegal, that number is 68% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 43% in rural areas) as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 2.4 times more on education

Laos spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Senegal spends 5.5% 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 Senegal, that number is 5.2% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Direction Generale des Impots et des Domaines.

Senegal: At a glance

Senegal is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 192,530 sq km. The French colonies of Senegal and the French Sudan were merged in 1959 and granted their independence as the Mali Federation in 1960. The union broke up after only a few months. Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982. The envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. The Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance (MFDC) has led a low-level separatist insurgency in southern Senegal since the 1980s, and several peace deals have failed to resolve the conflict. Nevertheless, Senegal remains one of the most stable democracies in Africa and has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping and regional mediation. Senegal was ruled by a Socialist Party for 40 years until Abdoulaye WADE was elected president in 2000. He was reelected in 2007 and during his two terms amended Senegal's constitution over a dozen times to increase executive power and to weaken the opposition. His decision to run for a third presidential term sparked a large public backlash that led to his defeat in a March 2012 runoff election with Macky SALL.
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How big is Senegal compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.

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