Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 97.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Namibia, 11.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Laos, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2020.

live 1.7 years longer

In Namibia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 69 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 69.2% less likely to be obese

In Namibia, 17.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 80.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Namibia, 20.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 3.8% as of 2022.

pay a 35.1% lower top tax rate

Namibia has a top tax rate of 37.0% as of 2016. In Laos, the top tax rate is 24.0% as of 2016.

make 19.4% less money

Namibia has a GDP per capita of $9,800 as of 2022, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $7,900 as of 2022.

Life

be 41.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Namibia, approximately 215.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.

be 28.4% more likely to die during infancy

In Namibia, approximately 29.4 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 18.5% fewer children

In Namibia, there are approximately 24.3 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 81.2% more likely to have access to electricity

In Namibia, approximately 55% of people have electricity access (75% in urban areas, and 33% 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 17.0% more likely to have internet access

In Namibia, approximately 53.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Laos, about 62.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 76.0% less on education

Namibia spends 9.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Laos spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 69.7% less on healthcare

Namibia spends 8.9% 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, Ministry of Finance, Inland Revenue Department.

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 Namibia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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