Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 96.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Malawi, 8.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Laos, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2020.

live 4.3 years less

In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 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 4.9 times more money

Malawi has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2023, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $8,400 as of 2023.

be 76.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Malawi, 5.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2023.

be 63.9% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Malawi, 50.7% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Laos, however, that number is 18.3% as of 2018.

pay a 20.0% lower top tax rate

Malawi has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In Laos, the top tax rate is 24.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 66.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Malawi, approximately 381.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.

be 29.4% more likely to be literate

In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 87.1% as of 2021.

be 13.0% more likely to die during infancy

In Malawi, approximately 33.4 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.

have 25.6% fewer children

In Malawi, there are approximately 26.6 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 7.1 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Malawi, approximately 14% of people have electricity access (54% in urban areas, and 6% 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 2.6 times more likely to have internet access

In Malawi, approximately 24.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Laos, about 62.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 20.7% less on education

Malawi spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Laos spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 50.0% less on healthcare

Malawi spends 5.4% 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: Malawi Revenue Authority, 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.
Read more

How big is Laos compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Laos.or Malawi It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.