Laos
Country in Asia
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 7.9M (2025). World rank 102 of 216; in Asia, 31 of 49. Area: 236,800 km². World rank 85 of 249; in Asia, 22 of 50. GDP per person: $2,325 (2025). World rank 172 of 210 (1 = best); in Asia, 40 of 47. From 2015 to 2025: population 6.8M → 7.9M, GDP $14.4B → $18.3B, and GDP per person $2,121 → $2,325.
State
- Official name
- Lao People's Democratic Republic
- Local name
- ສປປລາວ
- Capital
- Vientiane
- Region
- Asia
- Form of government
- Communist party-led state
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Thongloun Sisoulith
- Head of government
- Sonexay Siphandone
- Independence
- July 19, 1949
- Women in parliament
- 22% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 7,873,046 2025
- Area
- 236,800 km²
- GDP
- $18.3B 2025
- GDP per person
- $2,325 2025
- Life expectancy
- 69.2 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- Lao
- Currency
- Laotian Kip (LAK)
- Time zones
- UTC+7
- Calling code
- +856
- Emergency numbers
- 190, 191, 195
- Driving side
- Right
- Plug types
- A, B, C, E, F
- Mains voltage
- 230 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Landlocked
- Coastline, km
- 0
- Neighbours
- Myanmar, Cambodia, China, Thailand, Vietnam
- Agricultural land
- 9.5% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Phou Bia, 2,817 m
- Lowest point
- Mekong River, 70 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 710
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 26
- Warmest month in the capital
- April, 31°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- December, 21°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 1,834 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 33.2 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- +1.3% 2025
- Living in cities
- 40.3% 2025
- Net migration per year
- -10.6K 2025
- Born in another country
- 0.7% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 29.8% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 65.4% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 4.8% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 71.5 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 67 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 2.4 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 20.9 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 6.2 2024
Society
- Religions
- Buddhist 64.7%, no religion 31.4%, and Christian 1.7% (2015)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 48.1 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 28 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 40.2 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 44.1 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 27.6 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $10,383 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +4.5% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- Lower-middle income
- Gross national income per person
- $2,150 2025
- Inflation
- +7.7% 2025
- Price level, USA = 100
- 22 2025
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 16.6% 2025
- Industry, share of GDP
- 29.2% 2025
- Services, share of GDP
- 43.6% 2025
- Unemployment
- 1.2% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 2.4% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 61.6% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 33.2% 2016
- Imports, share of GDP
- 41.9% 2016
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- +11.1% 2025
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- +7.7% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 2.6% 2025
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 12.1% 2022
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 34.7 2024
- Living on under $3 a day
- 7.1% 2024
Education
- Adult literacy
- 75.6% 2023
- Primary school enrolment
- 93.1% 2025
- Secondary school enrolment
- 50.5% 2025
- Higher education enrolment
- 14.9% 2023
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 1.2% 2023
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 1.3% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $27 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 44.8% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 0.3 2022
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 1 2023
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 1.7 2023
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 69% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 27.2 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 29.4 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 112 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 0.4% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 6.7% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 31% 2022
- Adults who use tobacco
- 25.4% 2024
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 95.9% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 88.7% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 10% 2024
Safety
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 17.9 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 4.6 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 75.3 2025
- Natural hazards
- floods and droughts
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 26 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 3.4 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 5.4 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 56.6% 2024
- Protected areas
- 18.8% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 25,188 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 4.8% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 65.6% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 65 2023
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 2.7 2023
- Internet domain
- .la
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 96.5% 2024
- Electricity use, kWh per person
- 1,502 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 49.2% 2022
- Electricity from renewables
- 63.3% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 24.3% 2024
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 842,280 2023
- Airports
- 20 2025
- Railways, km
- 422 2023
Science and innovation
- Research spending, share of GDP
- 0% 2002
- Researchers per million people
- 16 2002
- Scientific articles per year
- 72 2023
- Patent applications by residents
- 1 2023
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 7.4% 2023