Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
live 2.9 years longer
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 65 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022.
be 58.3% less likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 12.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 49.1% more money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $5,300 as of 2022, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $7,900 as of 2022.
be 64.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 3.8% as of 2022.
be 42.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Mauritania, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Laos, however, that number is 18.3% as of 2018.
pay a 40.0% lower top tax rate
Mauritania has a top tax rate of 40.0% as of 2016. In Laos, the top tax rate is 24.0% as of 2016.
Life
be 72.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Mauritania, approximately 465.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.
be 30.0% more likely to be literate
In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 87.1% as of 2021.
be 25.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Mauritania, approximately 51.0 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 27.2% fewer children
In Mauritania, there are approximately 27.2 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 2.1 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Mauritania, approximately 48% of people have electricity access (90% in urban areas, and 1% 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.
Expenditures
spend 20.6% less on healthcare
Mauritania spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Laos, that number is 2.7% of GDP as of 2020.
spend 21.1% more on education
Mauritania spends 1.9% 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.
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.