Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
be 77.6% less likely to be obese
In Nicaragua, 23.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.
live 6.6 years less
In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (73 years for men, 77 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 15.1% more money
Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $7,300 as of 2023, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $8,400 as of 2023.
be 75.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Nicaragua, 4.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2023.
be 26.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Nicaragua, 24.9% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Laos, however, that number is 18.3% as of 2018.
pay a 20.0% lower top tax rate
Nicaragua has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In Laos, the top tax rate is 24.0% as of 2016.
Life
have 20.7% more children
In Nicaragua, there are approximately 16.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 61.5% more likely to die during childbirth
In Nicaragua, approximately 78.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.
be 97.9% more likely to die during infancy
In Nicaragua, approximately 19.1 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 15.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In Nicaragua, approximately 86% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 66% 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.
Expenditures
spend 50.0% less on education
Nicaragua spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Laos spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 68.6% less on healthcare
Nicaragua spends 8.6% 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: General Directorate of Revenues, The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance.
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.