Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 5.3 years longer

In Laos, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022. In Ukraine, that number is 73 years (69 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022.

be 4.5 times more likely to be obese

In Laos, 5.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Ukraine, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 92.9% more money

Laos has a GDP per capita of $8,400 as of 2023, while in Ukraine, the GDP per capita is $16,200 as of 2023.

be 91.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Laos, 18.3% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Ukraine, however, that number is 1.6% as of 2020.

pay a 25.0% lower top tax rate

Laos has a top tax rate of 24.0% as of 2016. In Ukraine, the top tax rate is 18.0% as of 2016.

be 8.3 times more likely to be unemployed

In Laos, 1.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Ukraine, that number is 9.8% as of 2021.

Life

be 86.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In Laos, approximately 126.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Ukraine, 17.0 women do as of 2020.

be 14.8% more likely to be literate

In Laos, the literacy rate is 87.1% as of 2021. In Ukraine, it is 100.0% as of 2021.

be 80.6% 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 Ukraine, on the other hand, 7.3 children do as of 2022.

have 51.5% fewer children

In Laos, there are approximately 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ukraine, there are 9.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.

Basic Needs

be 52.4% more likely to have internet access

In Laos, approximately 62.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Ukraine, about 94.5% do as of 2022.

be 12.2% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Laos, approximately 89% of people have improved drinking water access (97% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Ukraine, that number is 100% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 2.3 times more on education

Laos spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Ukraine spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 2.8 times more on healthcare

Laos spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Ukraine, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Revenue and Duties of Ukraine.

Ukraine: At a glance

Ukraine is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 579,330 sq km. Ukraine was the center of the first eastern Slavic state, Kyivan Rus, which during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest and most powerful state in Europe. Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol invasions, Kyivan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The cultural and religious legacy of Kyivan Rus laid the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries. A new Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of the 18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic territory was absorbed by the Russian Empire. Following the collapse of czarist Russia in 1917, Ukraine was able to achieve a short-lived period of independence (1917-20), but was reconquered and forced to endure a brutal Soviet rule that engineered two forced famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died. In World War II, German and Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 to 8 million more deaths. Although final independence for Ukraine was achieved in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR, democracy and prosperity remained elusive as the legacy of state control and endemic corruption stalled efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties. A peaceful mass protest "Orange Revolution" in the closing months of 2004 forced the authorities to overturn a rigged presidential election and to allow a new internationally monitored vote that swept into power a reformist slate under Viktor YUSHCHENKO. Subsequent internal squabbles in the YUSHCHENKO camp allowed his rival Viktor YANUKOVYCH to stage a comeback in parliamentary (Rada) elections and to become prime minister in August of 2006, and to be elected president in February 2010. In October 2012, Ukraine held Rada elections, widely criticized by Western observers as flawed due to use of government resources to favor ruling party candidates, interference with media access, and harassment of opposition candidates. President YANUKOVYCH's backtracking on a trade and cooperation agreement with the EU in November 2013 - in favor of closer economic ties with Russia - led to a three-month protest occupation of Kyiv's central square. The government's eventual use of force to break up the protest camp in February 2014 led to all out pitched battles, scores of deaths, international condemnation, and the president's abrupt departure to Russia. An interim government scheduled new presidential elections for 25 May 2014. On 1 March 2014, one week after the overthrow in Kyiv, Russian President PUTIN ordered the invasion of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula claiming the action was to protect ethnic Russians living there. On 16 March 2014, a "referendum" was held regarding the integration of Crimea into the Russian Federation. The "referendum" was condemned as illegitimate by the Ukrainian Government, the EU, the US, and the UN General Assembly. Russian forces now occupy Crimea and Russian authorities claim it as Russian territory. The Ukrainian Government asserts that Crimea remains part of Ukraine.
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