Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Norway, you would:
Health
be 77.1% less likely to be obese
In Norway, 23.1% 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 Norway, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 85 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 37.7% lower top tax rate
Norway has a top tax rate of 38.5% as of 2017. In Laos, the top tax rate is 24.0% as of 2016.
make 88.3% less money
Norway has a GDP per capita of $67,500 as of 2022, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $7,900 as of 2022.
be 18.3% more likely to be unemployed
In Norway, 3.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 3.8% as of 2022.
be 44.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Norway, 12.7% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Laos, however, that number is 18.3% as of 2018.
Life
have 90.4% more children
In Norway, there are approximately 10.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 63.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Norway, approximately 2.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.
be 16.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Norway, approximately 2.3 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 37.4% less likely to have internet access
In Norway, approximately 99.0% 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 Norway, 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 61.0% less on education
Norway spends 5.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Laos spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 76.3% less on healthcare
Norway spends 11.4% 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, Norwegian Tax Administration.
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Norway? See an in-depth size comparison.