Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Madagascar, you would:
Economy
make 5.3 times more money
Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $1,500 as of 2022, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $7,900 as of 2022.
be 74.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Madagascar, 70.7% live below the poverty line as of 2012. In Laos, however, that number is 18.3% as of 2018.
be 2.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Madagascar, 1.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 3.8% as of 2022.
pay a 20.0% higher top tax rate
Madagascar has a top tax rate of 20.0% as of 2016. In Laos, the top tax rate is 24.0% as of 2016.
Life
be 67.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Madagascar, approximately 392.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.
be 12.7% more likely to be literate
In Madagascar, the literacy rate is 77.3% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 87.1% as of 2021.
have 28.3% fewer children
In Madagascar, there are approximately 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.8 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Madagascar, approximately 35% of people have electricity access (73% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2021. In Laos, that number is 100% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 93% in rural areas) as of 2021.
be 3.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Madagascar, approximately 20.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Laos, about 62.0% do as of 2021.
be 58.3% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Madagascar, approximately 56% of people have improved drinking water access (85% in urban areas, and 38% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Laos, that number is 89% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 25.8% less on education
Madagascar spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Laos spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 30.8% less on healthcare
Madagascar spends 3.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Laos, that number is 2.7% of GDP as of 2020.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, General Direction of Taxes, Ministry of Finance.
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.