Born in Viet Nam or in Lao PDR?
Two babies are born the same second, one in Viet Nam and one in Lao PDR. This is what the numbers say about the two lives ahead of them.
- A baby born in Viet Nam can expect to live 74.7 years; in Lao PDR, 69.3 years.
- A child in Lao PDR is 1.7 times as likely to die before the age of five as a child in Viet Nam.
- Income per person in Viet Nam buys 1.7 times as much as in Lao PDR.
- Each year about 1,363,757 babies are born in Viet Nam and 164,806 in Lao PDR.
Side by side
| Indicator | Viet Nam | Lao PDR | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health and survival | |||
| Life expectancy, women (years) | 79.4 | 71.5 | 75.9 |
| Life expectancy, men (years) | 70.1 | 67 | 71 |
| Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000) | 12 | 27.2 | 27.8 |
| Children who die before 5 (per 1,000) | 17.3 | 29.4 | 37.6 |
| Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births) | 48 | 112 | 189 |
| Adults living with HIV (%) | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.7 |
| Adults who smoke (%) | 21 | 25 | 20 |
| Alcohol per adult (litres a year) | 8 | 10.8 | 4.6 |
| Road deaths (per 100,000) | 30.6 | 17.9 | 17 |
| Homicides (per 100,000) | 1.5 | ≈ 1.5 | 4.7 |
| Family and school | |||
| Children per woman | 1.9 | 2.4 | 2.85 |
| Women married before 18 (%) | 15 | 31 | 18 |
| Children in primary school (%) | 98 | 91 | 89 |
| Secondary school enrolment (%) | 93 | 51 | 81 |
| Higher education enrolment (%) | 38 | 15 | 48 |
| Children aged 7–14 who work (%) | 10.9 | 8.6 | 11.9 |
| Money and work | |||
| Income per person (PPP) | $15,457 | $8,873 | $21,797 |
| Income inequality (Gini, 0–100) | 36 | 35 | 34 |
| Living on under $3 a day (%) | 1.6 | 7.1 | 9.9 |
| Unemployment (%) | 1.5 | 1.2 | 5.1 |
| Jobs in farming (%) | 25 | 69 | 27 |
| Women in the workforce (%) | 69 | 62 | 48 |
| Health costs paid out of pocket (%) | 39 | 45 | 37 |
| Home and connection | |||
| Living in cities (%) | 39 | 40 | 58 |
| Access to electricity (%) | 100 | 97 | 92 |
| Safe drinking water (%) | 99 | 96 | 91 |
| Internet users (%) | 84 | 66 | 72 |
| Peace and wellbeing | |||
| Life satisfaction (0–10) | 6.43 | 5.52 | 5.4 |
| Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year) | 0 | 0 | 2.43 |
| Refugees abroad (% of population) | 0.02 | 0.08 | 0.34 |
≈ Estimated from the region
From 1960 to 2050
How life here has changed, and where UN projections expect it to go. The dashed part is a projection.
Viet Nam: 1960: 58.1 → 2026: 75.5 → 2050: 78.9Lao PDR: 1960: 41.1 → 2026: 69.8 → 2050: 74.3
Viet NamLao PDRWorld
Viet Nam: 1960: 99 → 2026: 17 → 2050: 10Lao PDR: 1960: 358 → 2026: 27 → 2050: 8
Viet NamLao PDRWorld
Viet Nam: 1960: 6.3 → 2026: 1.9 → 2050: 1.8Lao PDR: 1960: 6.3 → 2026: 2.3 → 2050: 1.9
Viet NamLao PDRWorld
Viet Nam: 1960: 15 → 2026: 39 → 2050: 47Lao PDR: 1960: 8 → 2026: 41 → 2050: 63
Viet NamLao PDRWorld
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Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.