Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Laos instead of Western Sahara, you would:

Health

live 3.7 years longer

In Western Sahara, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2020. In Laos, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 3.4 times more money

Western Sahara has a GDP per capita of $2,500 as of 2007, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $8,400 as of 2023.

Life

be 21.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Western Sahara, approximately 47.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In Laos, on the other hand, 37.8 children do as of 2022.

have 29.3% fewer children

In Western Sahara, there are approximately 28.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In Laos, there are 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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 Western Sahara? See an in-depth size comparison.

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