Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Laos instead of New Zealand, you would:

Health

be 82.8% less likely to be obese

In New Zealand, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.

live 14.4 years less

In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 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 27.3% lower top tax rate

New Zealand has a top tax rate of 33.0% as of 2016. In Laos, the top tax rate is 24.0% as of 2016.

make 82.5% less money

New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $45,200 as of 2022, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $7,900 as of 2022.

be 15.8% more likely to be unemployed

In New Zealand, 3.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 3.8% as of 2022.

Life

have 57.1% more children

In New Zealand, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 18.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In New Zealand, approximately 7.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.

be 11.0 times more likely to die during infancy

In New Zealand, approximately 3.4 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.

Basic Needs

be 35.4% less likely to have internet access

In New Zealand, approximately 96.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Laos, about 62.0% do as of 2021.

be 11.2% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In New Zealand, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 61.7% less on education

New Zealand spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Laos spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 73.0% less on healthcare

New Zealand spends 10.0% 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, New Zealand 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 New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.

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