Country page · East Asia & Pacific
If you were born in Laos
1 in 814 babies · 0.12% of births · about 164,806 a year
Right now, about 0.12% of the world's babies are born in Laos — 1 in 814, or roughly 164,806 a year and 452 a day. Life expectancy there is 69.2 years.
How the 1 in 814 is calculated
This number is not based on population. It uses births: Laos has about 164,806 births a year, and the world has about 134,147,481. Divide one by the other and you get 0.12% — 1 in 814. Using population instead would understate young countries and overstate ageing ones, so every draw is weighted by births.
Life in Laos, in numbers
| Indicator | Value | World rank |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy women 71.5 · men 67.0 | 69.2 years | 119th highest of 172 countries |
| Chance of dying before 5 29.4 / 1,000 | 2.9% | 114th lowest of 170 countries |
| Chance of dying before 1 27.2 / 1,000 | 2.7% | 120th lowest of 170 countries |
| Mothers who die giving birth per 100,000 births | 112 | 111th lowest of 170 countries |
| Children per woman | 2.40 | 101st lowest of 172 countries |
| Expected years of schooling | 10.5 years | 129th highest of 168 countries |
| Tertiary enrollment | 14.9% | 124th highest of 168 countries |
| Income per person (PPP) GDP per capita, PPP | $10,383 | 112th highest of 170 countries |
| Income inequality closer to 0 = more equal | 34.70 | 83rd highest of 157 countries |
| People living in cities | 40.3% | 137th highest of 172 countries |
| People working in farming | 68.6% | 166th lowest of 171 countries |
| People using the internet | 65.6% | 110th highest of 172 countries |
| Homicide per 100,000 people | — | — |
| Health costs paid out of pocket share of health spending | 44.8% | 126th lowest of 168 countries |
| Adults living with HIV | 0.40% | 69th highest of 142 countries |
| People who smoke | 25.4% | — |
How to read these numbers
Income is shown in purchasing-power-parity dollars, so it compares what money buys locally rather than market exchange rates. The under-5 rate is the share of babies who die before their fifth birthday; the maternal mortality ratio is per 100,000 live births. A Gini index closer to 0 means a more equal income distribution, and a higher number means a more unequal one.
Each indicator uses the most recent year with a non-empty value, which can differ by country; the rank compares this country with the other 171 in the dataset, not with every country on Earth. Where a value is missing, the page shows a dash rather than an estimate.
Laos compared with East Asia & Pacific
Life expectancy in Laos is 69.2 years, against a East Asia & Pacific average of 74.8. The under-5 death rate is 2.9%, versus 1.8% across the region. Income per person is $10,383, against $34,115 regionally; expected schooling is 10.5 years against 13.2. 40.3% of people live in cities, against 59.6% in the region.
| Indicator | Laos | East Asia & Pacific | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 69.2 years old | 74.8 years old | 73.3 years old |
| Under-5 deaths | 2.9% | 1.8% | 2.6% |
| Income per person (PPP) | $10,383 | $34,115 | $30,311 |
| Expected schooling | 10.5 years | 13.2 years | 13.0 years |
| People in cities | 40.3% | 59.6% | 61.6% |
What a life there looks like
Put those numbers together and you get a life: about 69.2 years on average, with roughly 29.4 of every 1,000 babies dying before their fifth birthday. A child can expect 10.5 years of school, and income per person is around $10,383. These are averages — every life still lands somewhere on the distribution.
If you play as someone born in Laos
The game draws Laos in about 1 of every 814 births. From there the life runs year by year: 69.2 years of life expectancy on average, a 2.9% chance of dying before five, and an income of about $10,383 per person. Choices move the odds; the starting statistics do not.
Nearby and similar countries
- Chance of being born in South Korea — 1 in 552
- Chance of being born in Papua New Guinea — 1 in 513
- Chance of being born in Australia — 1 in 454
- All 172 countries
Frequently asked questions
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Is Laos a good country to be born in, in the game?
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, with UN World Population Prospects 2024 and UN IGME for births and mortality. Values are the most recent non-empty year for each indicator; the year is noted where it differs. Page updated Oct 24, 2026.