Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
be 66.0% less likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 15.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.
live 8.0 years less
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 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
pay a 14.3% lower top tax rate
Malaysia has a top tax rate of 28.0% as of 2016. In Laos, the top tax rate is 24.0% as of 2016.
make 72.2% less money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $28,400 as of 2022, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $7,900 as of 2022.
be 3.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Malaysia, 6.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Laos, however, that number is 18.3% as of 2018.
Life
have 39.4% more children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 14.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Malaysia, approximately 21.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.
be 5.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In Malaysia, approximately 6.6 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 36.1% less likely to have internet access
In Malaysia, approximately 97.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Laos, about 62.0% do as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 41.0% less on education
Malaysia spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Laos spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 34.1% less on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.1% 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, Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia, Ministry of Finance.
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.