Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Laos instead of Somalia, you would:

Health

live 12.4 years longer

In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 56 years (53 years for men, 58 years for women) as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022.

be 36.1% less likely to be obese

In Somalia, 8.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 5.6 times more money

Somalia has a GDP per capita of $1,400 as of 2022, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $7,900 as of 2022.

be 80.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Somalia, 19.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 3.8% as of 2022.

be 66.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Somalia, 54.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Laos, however, that number is 18.3% as of 2018.

Life

be 79.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Somalia, approximately 621.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.

be 56.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Somalia, approximately 86.5 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 47.1% fewer children

In Somalia, there are approximately 37.4 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 2.0 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Somalia, approximately 49% of people have electricity access (71% in urban areas, and 31% 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 4.3 times more likely to have internet access

In Somalia, approximately 14.5% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Laos, about 62.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 7.7 times more on education

Somalia spends 0.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. 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.

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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How big is Laos compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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