Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 83.7% less likely to be obese

In Libya, 32.5% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.

live 9.0 years less

In Libya, the average life expectancy is 77 years (75 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 93.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Libya, 18.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2023.

make 52.5% less money

Libya has a GDP per capita of $17,700 as of 2023, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $8,400 as of 2023.

pay a 2.4 times higher top tax rate

Libya has a top tax rate of 10.0% as of 2016. In Laos, the top tax rate is 24.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 75.0% more likely to die during childbirth

In Libya, approximately 72.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.

be 3.4 times more likely to die during infancy

In Libya, approximately 11.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Laos, on the other hand, 37.8 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 42.9% more likely to have access to electricity

In Libya, approximately 70% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 96% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 100% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 93% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 34.2% more likely to have internet access

In Libya, approximately 46.2% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Laos, about 62.0% do as of 2021.

be 11.1% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Libya, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In Laos, 89% of people do as of 2020.

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

Laos: At a glance

Laos is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 230,800 sq km. Modern-day Laos has its roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, established in the 14th century under King FA NGUM. For 300 years Lan Xang had influence reaching into present-day Cambodia and Thailand, as well as over all of what is now Laos. After centuries of gradual decline, Laos came under the domination of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. In 1975, the communist Pathet Lao took control of the government ending a six-century-old monarchy and instituting a strict socialist regime closely aligned to Vietnam. A gradual, limited return to private enterprise and the liberalization of foreign investment laws began in 1988. Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997 and the WTO in 2013.
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How big is Laos compared to Libya? See an in-depth size comparison.

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