Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Senegal, you would:
Health
be 39.8% less likely to be obese
In Senegal, 8.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.
live 1.8 years less
In Senegal, the average life expectancy is 70 years (68 years for men, 72 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 2.2 times more money
Senegal has a GDP per capita of $3,600 as of 2022, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $7,900 as of 2022.
be 60.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Senegal, 46.7% live below the poverty line as of 2011. In Laos, however, that number is 18.3% as of 2018.
pay a 40.0% lower top tax rate
Senegal has a top tax rate of 40.0% as of 2016. In Laos, the top tax rate is 24.0% as of 2016.
be 26.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Senegal, 3.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 3.8% as of 2022.
Life
be 51.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Senegal, approximately 261.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.
be 54.7% more likely to be literate
In Senegal, the literacy rate is 56.3% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 87.1% as of 2021.
be 16.5% more likely to die during infancy
In Senegal, approximately 32.4 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 34.4% fewer children
In Senegal, there are approximately 30.2 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 47.3% more likely to have access to electricity
In Senegal, approximately 68% of people have electricity access (94% in urban areas, and 43% 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.
Expenditures
spend 58.2% less on education
Senegal spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Laos spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 48.1% less on healthcare
Senegal spends 5.2% 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, Direction Generale des Impots et des Domaines.
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Senegal? See an in-depth size comparison.