Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Turkmenistan, you would:
Health
be 71.5% less likely to be obese
In Turkmenistan, 18.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.
live 3.7 years less
In Turkmenistan, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 75 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 46.3% less money
Turkmenistan has a GDP per capita of $14,700 as of 2022, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $7,900 as of 2022.
be 91.5 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Turkmenistan, 0.2% live below the poverty line as of 2012. In Laos, however, that number is 18.3% as of 2018.
Life
have 17.9% more children
In Turkmenistan, there are approximately 16.8 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 Turkmenistan, approximately 5.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Laos, 126.0 women do as of 2020.
be 12.6% less likely to be literate
In Turkmenistan, the literacy rate is 99.7% as of 2015. In Laos, it is 87.1% as of 2021.
Basic Needs
be 2.5 times more likely to have internet access
In Turkmenistan, approximately 25.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Laos, about 62.0% do as of 2021.
be 11.2% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Turkmenistan, 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 25.8% less on education
Turkmenistan spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Laos spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 52.6% less on healthcare
Turkmenistan spends 5.7% 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.
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Turkmenistan? See an in-depth size comparison.