Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Laos instead of Virgin Islands, you would:

Health

live 12.1 years less

In Virgin Islands, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 84 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 90.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Virgin Islands, 12.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2023.

be 36.7% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Virgin Islands, 28.9% live below the poverty line as of 2002. In Laos, however, that number is 18.3% as of 2018.

make 81.8% less money

Virgin Islands has a GDP per capita of $46,200 as of 2021, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $8,400 as of 2023.

Life

have 78.4% more children

In Virgin Islands, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 4.9 times more likely to die during infancy

In Virgin Islands, approximately 7.7 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 10.0% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Virgin Islands, approximately 99% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In Laos, 89% of people do 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 Virgin Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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