World Factbook
Laos
Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Literacy
male
85.1% (2023 est.)
female
66.7% (2023 est.)
total population
75.6% (2023 est.)
Languages
Languages
Lao (official), French, English, various ethnic languages
major-language sample(s)
ແຫລ່ງທີ່ຂາດບໍ່ໄດ້ສຳລັບຂໍ້ມູນຕົ້ນຕໍ່” (Lao) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Religions
Buddhist 64.7%, Christian 1.7%, none 31.4%, other/not stated 2.1% (2015 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.04 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.99 male(s)/female
total population
1 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.87 male(s)/female
Birth rate
19.22 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
6.07 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
25 years
total
25.8 years (2025 est.)
female
25.7 years
Population
male
3,966,320
total
7,953,556 (2024 est.)
female
3,987,236
Nationality
noun
Lao(s) or Laotian(s)
adjective
Lao or Laotian
Tobacco use
male
41% (2025 est.)
total
24.1% (2025 est.)
female
7.2% (2025 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
38.2% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
2.99% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
30.1% (male 1,214,429/female 1,181,845)
15-64 years
65% (male 2,573,668/female 2,599,957)
65 years and over
4.8% (2024 est.) (male 178,223/female 205,434)
Ethnic groups
Lao 53.2%, Khmou 11%, Hmong 9.2%, Phouthay 3.4%, Tai 3.1%, Makong 2.5%, Katong 2.2%, Lue 2%, Akha 1.8%, other 11.6% (2015 est.)
note: the Laos Government officially recognizes 49 ethnic groups, but the total number of ethnic groups is estimated to be well over 200
Child marriage
men married by age 18
10.8% (2017)
women married by age 15
7.1% (2017)
women married by age 18
32.7% (2017)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
53.7 (2024 est.)
youth dependency ratio
46.3 (2024 est.)
potential support ratio
13.5 (2024 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
7.4 (2024 est.)
Physician density
0.33 physicians/1,000 population (2022)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
2.7% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
4.3% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
-0.93 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Hospital bed density
1.3 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.19 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: rural
rural: 78.5% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 85.5% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 97.1% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 21.5% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 14.5% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 2.9% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% GDP)
1.2% of GDP (2023 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget)
8.2% national budget (2024 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
39.1 deaths/1,000 live births
total
34.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
31.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
1.22% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
1.07 (2025 est.)
Population distribution
most densely populated area is in and around the capital city of Vientiane; large communities are primarily found along the Mekong River along the southwestern border; overall density is considered one of the lowest in Southeast Asia
Life expectancy at birth
male
67.4 years
female
70.7 years
total population
69 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
112 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: rural
rural: 72% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 82.5% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 28% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 17.5% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
3.62 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
0.07 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
8.15 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits
4.46 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols
0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Major urban areas - population
721,000 VIENTIANE (capital) (2023)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
5.3% (2016)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
61.6% (2017 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
24.3% (2023 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male
9 years (2023 est.)
total
9 years (2023 est.)
female
9 years (2023 est.)