Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Rwanda, you would:
Health
be 88.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Rwanda, 2.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Laos, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2020.
live 2.3 years longer
In Rwanda, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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 2.8 times more money
Rwanda has a GDP per capita of $3,000 as of 2023, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $8,400 as of 2023.
be 92.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Rwanda, 14.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2023.
be 52.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Rwanda, 38.2% 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
Rwanda has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In Laos, the top tax rate is 24.0% as of 2016.
Life
be 51.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Rwanda, approximately 259.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.
be 14.8% more likely to be literate
In Rwanda, the literacy rate is 75.9% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 87.1% as of 2021.
be 43.2% more likely to die during infancy
In Rwanda, approximately 26.4 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.
have 25.1% fewer children
In Rwanda, there are approximately 26.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Laos, there are 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 97.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In Rwanda, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 38% 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.
be 2.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Rwanda, approximately 30.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Laos, about 62.0% do as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 39.5% less on education
Rwanda spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Laos spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 63.0% less on healthcare
Rwanda spends 7.3% 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, Rwanda Revenue Authority.
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Rwanda? See an in-depth size comparison.