Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Somalia instead of Laos, you would:
Health
live 12.4 years less
In Laos, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022. In Somalia, that number is 56 years (53 years for men, 58 years for women) as of 2022.
be 56.6% more likely to be obese
In Laos, 5.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Somalia, that number is 8.3% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 82.1% less money
Laos has a GDP per capita of $8,400 as of 2023, while in Somalia, the GDP per capita is $1,500 as of 2023.
be 16.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Laos, 1.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Somalia, that number is 19.0% as of 2023.
be 3.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Laos, 18.3% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Somalia, however, that number is 54.4% as of 2022.
Life
have 88.9% more children
In Laos, there are approximately 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Somalia, there are 37.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Laos, approximately 126.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Somalia, 621.0 women do as of 2020.
be 2.3 times more 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 Somalia, on the other hand, 86.5 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 51.1% 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 Somalia, that number is 49% of people on average (71% in urban areas, and 31% in rural areas) as of 2022.
be 76.6% less likely to have internet access
In Laos, approximately 62.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Somalia, about 14.5% do as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 87.0% less on education
Laos spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Somalia spends 0.3% of total GDP on education as of 2019.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
Somalia: At a glance
How big is Somalia compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.