Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Palau, you would:
Health
be 90.4% less likely to be obese
In Palau, 55.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.
live 6.5 years less
In Palau, the average life expectancy is 75 years (71 years for men, 78 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
be 26.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Palau, 24.9% live below the poverty line as of 2006. In Laos, however, that number is 18.3% as of 2018.
make 44.0% less money
Palau has a GDP per capita of $14,100 as of 2021, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $7,900 as of 2022.
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Palau, 1.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2015. In Laos, that number is 3.8% as of 2022.
Life
have 70.7% more children
In Palau, there are approximately 11.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Palau, approximately 11.3 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 66.7% more likely to have internet access
In Palau, approximately 37.2% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Laos, about 62.0% do as of 2021.
be 10.9% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Palau, 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 66.2% less on education
Palau spends 6.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Laos spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 85.3% less on healthcare
Palau spends 18.4% 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.
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.