Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Laos instead of Saudi Arabia, you would:

Health

be 85.0% less likely to be obese

In Saudi Arabia, 35.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.

live 8.5 years less

In Saudi Arabia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (75 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 75.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Saudi Arabia, 4.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2023.

make 83.1% less money

Saudi Arabia has a GDP per capita of $49,600 as of 2023, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $8,400 as of 2023.

Life

have 45.6% more children

In Saudi Arabia, there are approximately 13.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 7.9 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Saudi Arabia, approximately 16.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.

be 10.8% less likely to be literate

In Saudi Arabia, the literacy rate is 97.6% as of 2020. In Laos, it is 87.1% as of 2021.

be 3.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In Saudi Arabia, approximately 12.3 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 38.0% less likely to have internet access

In Saudi Arabia, approximately 100.0% 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 Saudi Arabia, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In Laos, 89% of people do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 70.5% less on education

Saudi Arabia spends 7.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Laos spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 52.6% less on healthcare

Saudi Arabia spends 5.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. 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

Laos is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 230,800 sq km. Modern-day Laos has its roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, established in the 14th century under King FA NGUM. For 300 years Lan Xang had influence reaching into present-day Cambodia and Thailand, as well as over all of what is now Laos. After centuries of gradual decline, Laos came under the domination of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. In 1975, the communist Pathet Lao took control of the government ending a six-century-old monarchy and instituting a strict socialist regime closely aligned to Vietnam. A gradual, limited return to private enterprise and the liberalization of foreign investment laws began in 1988. Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997 and the WTO in 2013.
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