Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
be 74.3% less likely to be obese
In Sweden, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.
live 14.5 years less
In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 84.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Sweden, 7.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2023.
pay a 58.0% lower top tax rate
Sweden has a top tax rate of 57.1% as of 2016. In Laos, the top tax rate is 24.0% as of 2016.
make 86.9% less money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $64,200 as of 2023, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $8,400 as of 2023.
be 13.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Sweden, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Laos, however, that number is 18.3% as of 2018.
Life
have 85.0% more children
In Sweden, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 25.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sweden, approximately 5.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.
be 16.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Sweden, approximately 2.3 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 29.5% less likely to have internet access
In Sweden, approximately 88.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Laos, about 62.0% do as of 2021.
be 11.0% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Sweden, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 68.1% less on education
Sweden spends 7.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Laos spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 76.3% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 11.4% 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, Skatteverket.
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.