Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 16.8 years less

In Macau, the average life expectancy is 85 years (82 years for men, 88 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

make 84.7% less money

Macau has a GDP per capita of $51,800 as of 2022, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $7,900 as of 2022.

be 58.5% more likely to be unemployed

In Macau, 2.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 3.8% as of 2022.

pay a 100.0% higher top tax rate

Macau has a top tax rate of 12.0% as of 2016. In Laos, the top tax rate is 24.0% as of 2016.

Life

have 2.3 times more children

In Macau, there are approximately 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 10.3% less likely to be literate

In Macau, the literacy rate is 97.1% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 87.1% as of 2021.

be 8.2 times more likely to die during infancy

In Macau, approximately 4.6 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 29.5% less likely to have internet access

In Macau, approximately 88.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Laos, about 62.0% do as of 2021.

be 11.2% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

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

Expenditures

spend 63.5% less on education

Macau spends 6.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Laos spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Secretariat for Economy and 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 Macau? See an in-depth size comparison.

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