Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
be 75.1% less likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 21.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.
live 1.3 years less
In Papua New Guinea, the average life expectancy is 69 years (68 years for men, 71 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 2.1 times more money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,800 as of 2022, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $7,900 as of 2022.
be 50.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Papua New Guinea, 37.0% live below the poverty line as of 2002. In Laos, however, that number is 18.3% as of 2018.
pay a 42.9% lower top tax rate
Papua New Guinea has a top tax rate of 42.0% as of 2016. In Laos, the top tax rate is 24.0% as of 2016.
be 37.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Papua New Guinea, 2.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 3.8% as of 2022.
Life
be 34.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 192.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.
be 35.7% more likely to be literate
In Papua New Guinea, the literacy rate is 64.2% as of 2015. In Laos, it is 87.1% as of 2021.
be 12.5% more likely to die during infancy
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 33.6 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 29.5% fewer children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 28.1 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 4.8 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 21% of people have electricity access (65% in urban areas, and 14% 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 93.8% more likely to have internet access
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 32.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Laos, about 62.0% do as of 2021.
be 86.9% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 48% of people have improved drinking water access (86% in urban areas, and 42% 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 64.3% more on education
Papua New Guinea spends 1.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Laos spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Internal Revenue Commission, Papua New Guinea.
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.