Laos is a lower-middle-income country with a population of 7.77M people. The capital and largest city is Vientiane, with 948K residents. Laos shares land borders with Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, China and Myanmar.
Laos ranks 139/197 by GDP ($16.5B) and 155/197 by GDP per capita ($2,124). The top export category is raw materials & minerals, while the top import is machinery & equipment.
Main facts and rankings
Laos
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Population |
7954155
|
103/197 |
| GDP |
$16.5B
2024 |
139/197 |
| GDP per capita |
$2,124
2024 |
155/197 |
| GDP per capita, PPP |
$9,788
2024 |
133/197 |
| Government debt |
$15.9B
2024 |
106/185 |
| Debt-to-GDP ratio |
91.4%
2025 |
34/185 |
| Government debt per person |
$2,049
2024 |
118/185 |
| Average annual personal income after taxes |
$2,296
2025 |
157/197 |
| Land area | 89,112 sq mi | 79/197 |
| Population density | 87.2 ppl/mi² | 150/197 |
| Fertility rate | 2.42 | 78/196 |
| Median age | 25.6 years | 130/196 |
| Life expectancy | 69.5 years | 140/197 |
Laos trends dashboard: time-series charts
| Year | GDP |
|---|---|
| 1984 | $1,757,142,856 |
| 1985 | $2,366,666,616 |
| 1986 | $1,776,842,097 |
| 1987 | $1,087,273,104 |
| 1988 | $598,961,269 |
| 1989 | $714,046,821 |
| 1990 | $865,559,879 |
| 1991 | $1,028,087,972 |
| 1992 | $1,127,806,945 |
| 1993 | $1,327,748,690 |
| 1994 | $1,543,606,345 |
| 1995 | $1,763,536,305 |
| 1996 | $1,873,671,550 |
| 1997 | $1,747,011,857 |
| 1998 | $1,280,177,839 |
| 1999 | $1,454,430,642 |
| 2000 | $1,731,198,022 |
| 2001 | $1,768,619,058 |
| 2002 | $1,758,176,653 |
| 2003 | $2,023,324,407 |
| 2004 | $2,366,398,120 |
| 2005 | $2,735,558,735 |
| 2006 | $3,455,030,061 |
| 2007 | $4,223,152,739 |
| 2008 | $5,446,433,157 |
| 2009 | $5,836,137,330 |
| 2010 | $7,131,771,015 |
| 2011 | $8,750,104,617 |
| 2012 | $10,192,846,339 |
| 2013 | $11,983,252,627 |
| 2014 | $13,279,245,886 |
| 2015 | $14,426,380,126 |
| 2016 | $15,912,501,723 |
| 2017 | $17,071,155,481 |
| 2018 | $18,141,641,090 |
| 2019 | $18,740,561,513 |
| 2020 | $18,981,805,250 |
| 2021 | $18,827,148,531 |
| 2022 | $15,468,785,204 |
| 2023 | $15,843,155,731 |
| 2024 | $16,502,933,121 |
| Year | GDP per capita |
|---|---|
| 1984 | $483 |
| 1985 | $633 |
| 1986 | $462 |
| 1987 | $274.7 |
| 1988 | $147.1 |
| 1989 | $170.4 |
| 1990 | $200.7 |
| 1991 | $231.8 |
| 1992 | $247.3 |
| 1993 | $283.4 |
| 1994 | $321 |
| 1995 | $358 |
| 1996 | $371 |
| 1997 | $339 |
| 1998 | $243.9 |
| 1999 | $272.3 |
| 2000 | $319 |
| 2001 | $320 |
| 2002 | $313 |
| 2003 | $355 |
| 2004 | $409 |
| 2005 | $466 |
| 2006 | $579 |
| 2007 | $697 |
| 2008 | $886 |
| 2009 | $935 |
| 2010 | $1,126 |
| 2011 | $1,362 |
| 2012 | $1,564 |
| 2013 | $1,813 |
| 2014 | $1,981 |
| 2015 | $2,121 |
| 2016 | $2,303 |
| 2017 | $2,432 |
| 2018 | $2,545 |
| 2019 | $2,589 |
| 2020 | $2,584 |
| 2021 | $2,526 |
| 2022 | $2,046 |
| 2023 | $2,067 |
| 2024 | $2,124 |
Laos' life expectancy calculator
| Year | Life expectancy, years |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 38.9 |
| 1951 | 39.2 |
| 1952 | 39.4 |
| 1953 | 39.7 |
| 1954 | 40 |
| 1955 | 40.3 |
| 1956 | 40.6 |
| 1957 | 40.9 |
| 1958 | 41.2 |
| 1959 | 40.7 |
| 1960 | 41 |
| 1961 | 41.3 |
| 1962 | 42.3 |
| 1963 | 41.5 |
| 1964 | 41.9 |
| 1965 | 42.2 |
| 1966 | 42.3 |
| 1967 | 42.9 |
| 1968 | 43.2 |
| 1969 | 43.5 |
| 1970 | 43.8 |
| 1971 | 44.1 |
| 1972 | 44.4 |
| 1973 | 44.7 |
| 1974 | 45.9 |
| 1975 | 46.1 |
| 1976 | 46 |
| 1977 | 46.4 |
| 1978 | 46.8 |
| 1979 | 47.5 |
| 1980 | 48.6 |
| 1981 | 49.2 |
| 1982 | 49.9 |
| 1983 | 50.5 |
| 1984 | 51 |
| 1985 | 51.6 |
| 1986 | 52.1 |
| 1987 | 52.6 |
| 1988 | 53.1 |
| 1989 | 53.6 |
| 1990 | 54 |
| 1991 | 54.7 |
| 1992 | 55.1 |
| 1993 | 55.6 |
| 1994 | 55.8 |
| 1995 | 56.3 |
| 1996 | 56.8 |
| 1997 | 57.3 |
| 1998 | 57.5 |
| 1999 | 57.9 |
| 2000 | 58.3 |
| 2001 | 58.9 |
| 2002 | 59.3 |
| 2003 | 59.6 |
| 2004 | 60.1 |
| 2005 | 60.7 |
| 2006 | 61.1 |
| 2007 | 61.7 |
| 2008 | 62.2 |
| 2009 | 63 |
| 2010 | 63.7 |
| 2011 | 64.5 |
| 2012 | 65.1 |
| 2013 | 65.7 |
| 2014 | 66.3 |
| 2015 | 66.7 |
| 2016 | 67 |
| 2017 | 67.3 |
| 2018 | 67.6 |
| 2019 | 67.9 |
| 2020 | 68.3 |
| 2021 | 67.8 |
| 2022 | 68.7 |
| 2023 | 69 |
| 2024 | 69.2 |
| 2025 | 69.5 |
Laos' population clock and projection
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 2,121,514 |
| 1961 | 2,169,796 |
| 1962 | 2,219,910 |
| 1963 | 2,271,061 |
| 1964 | 2,322,826 |
| 1965 | 2,376,200 |
| 1966 | 2,431,084 |
| 1967 | 2,487,715 |
| 1968 | 2,546,377 |
| 1969 | 2,606,959 |
| 1970 | 2,669,702 |
| 1971 | 2,734,628 |
| 1972 | 2,801,660 |
| 1973 | 2,870,573 |
| 1974 | 2,939,761 |
| 1975 | 3,005,521 |
| 1976 | 3,064,876 |
| 1977 | 3,118,923 |
| 1978 | 3,171,740 |
| 1979 | 3,228,202 |
| 1980 | 3,292,573 |
| 1981 | 3,366,631 |
| 1982 | 3,450,026 |
| 1983 | 3,541,001 |
| 1984 | 3,637,843 |
| 1985 | 3,739,985 |
| 1986 | 3,846,715 |
| 1987 | 3,957,612 |
| 1988 | 4,072,601 |
| 1989 | 4,190,974 |
| 1990 | 4,311,955 |
| 1991 | 4,435,118 |
| 1992 | 4,559,646 |
| 1993 | 4,685,060 |
| 1994 | 4,809,220 |
| 1995 | 4,929,409 |
| 1996 | 5,045,678 |
| 1997 | 5,152,011 |
| 1998 | 5,248,266 |
| 1999 | 5,340,784 |
| 2000 | 5,431,212 |
| 2001 | 5,521,482 |
| 2002 | 5,610,889 |
| 2003 | 5,697,945 |
| 2004 | 5,781,626 |
| 2005 | 5,869,523 |
| 2006 | 5,963,200 |
| 2007 | 6,056,236 |
| 2008 | 6,148,969 |
| 2009 | 6,241,642 |
| 2010 | 6,334,194 |
| 2011 | 6,426,590 |
| 2012 | 6,518,978 |
| 2013 | 6,611,385 |
| 2014 | 6,703,172 |
| 2015 | 6,801,645 |
| 2016 | 6,908,802 |
| 2017 | 7,018,147 |
| 2018 | 7,128,045 |
| 2019 | 7,237,636 |
| 2020 | 7,346,533 |
| 2021 | 7,453,194 |
| 2022 | 7,559,007 |
| 2023 | 7,664,993 |
| 2024 | 7,769,819 |
Laos' birth and fertility rates
| Year | Fertility rate |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 6.29 |
| 1961 | 6.31 |
| 1962 | 6.31 |
| 1963 | 6.32 |
| 1964 | 6.31 |
| 1965 | 6.32 |
| 1966 | 6.31 |
| 1967 | 6.31 |
| 1968 | 6.3 |
| 1969 | 6.3 |
| 1970 | 6.31 |
| 1971 | 6.3 |
| 1972 | 6.28 |
| 1973 | 6.28 |
| 1974 | 6.29 |
| 1975 | 6.29 |
| 1976 | 6.29 |
| 1977 | 6.29 |
| 1978 | 6.3 |
| 1979 | 6.31 |
| 1980 | 6.33 |
| 1981 | 6.35 |
| 1982 | 6.37 |
| 1983 | 6.38 |
| 1984 | 6.37 |
| 1985 | 6.33 |
| 1986 | 6.26 |
| 1987 | 6.21 |
| 1988 | 6.16 |
| 1989 | 6.1 |
| 1990 | 6.06 |
| 1991 | 5.99 |
| 1992 | 5.9 |
| 1993 | 5.8 |
| 1994 | 5.6 |
| 1995 | 5.36 |
| 1996 | 5.15 |
| 1997 | 4.96 |
| 1998 | 4.79 |
| 1999 | 4.64 |
| 2000 | 4.43 |
| 2001 | 4.29 |
| 2002 | 4.13 |
| 2003 | 4.02 |
| 2004 | 3.9 |
| 2005 | 3.69 |
| 2006 | 3.56 |
| 2007 | 3.44 |
| 2008 | 3.33 |
| 2009 | 3.23 |
| 2010 | 3.14 |
| 2011 | 3.05 |
| 2012 | 2.95 |
| 2013 | 2.87 |
| 2014 | 2.8 |
| 2015 | 2.8 |
| 2016 | 2.74 |
| 2017 | 2.69 |
| 2018 | 2.63 |
| 2019 | 2.59 |
| 2020 | 2.54 |
| 2021 | 2.49 |
| 2022 | 2.46 |
| 2023 | 2.42 |
| Year | Median age, years |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 19.2 |
| 1961 | 19.2 |
| 1962 | 19.1 |
| 1963 | 19 |
| 1964 | 19 |
| 1965 | 18.9 |
| 1966 | 18.9 |
| 1967 | 18.9 |
| 1968 | 18.8 |
| 1969 | 18.8 |
| 1970 | 18.7 |
| 1971 | 18.7 |
| 1972 | 18.7 |
| 1973 | 18.7 |
| 1974 | 18.6 |
| 1975 | 18.5 |
| 1976 | 18.4 |
| 1977 | 18.3 |
| 1978 | 18.1 |
| 1979 | 18 |
| 1980 | 17.9 |
| 1981 | 17.9 |
| 1982 | 17.8 |
| 1983 | 17.8 |
| 1984 | 17.8 |
| 1985 | 17.8 |
| 1986 | 17.8 |
| 1987 | 17.8 |
| 1988 | 17.9 |
| 1989 | 17.9 |
| 1990 | 17.9 |
| 1991 | 17.9 |
| 1992 | 17.9 |
| 1993 | 17.9 |
| 1994 | 17.9 |
| 1995 | 17.9 |
| 1996 | 17.9 |
| 1997 | 18 |
| 1998 | 18 |
| 1999 | 18 |
| 2000 | 18.1 |
| 2001 | 18.2 |
| 2002 | 18.4 |
| 2003 | 18.5 |
| 2004 | 18.7 |
| 2005 | 18.9 |
| 2006 | 19.2 |
| 2007 | 19.6 |
| 2008 | 20 |
| 2009 | 20.5 |
| 2010 | 21 |
| 2011 | 21.4 |
| 2012 | 21.9 |
| 2013 | 22.3 |
| 2014 | 22.7 |
| 2015 | 23 |
| 2016 | 23.3 |
| 2017 | 23.6 |
| 2018 | 23.8 |
| 2019 | 24.1 |
| 2020 | 24.4 |
| 2021 | 24.7 |
| 2022 | 25 |
| 2023 | 25.3 |
| 2024 | 25.6 |
Laos vs. World: Interactive Maps
Use the buttons below to toggle between world maps that display different statistics comparing Laos with other countries.
GDP per capita
GDP
Life expectancy
Population
Population density
Fertility rate
Median age
Land area
Laos: National Statistics
Finance
|
Laos
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| GNI, Atlas method |
$15.5B
2024 |
140/194 |
| Government expenditure, % of GDP |
18.4%
2025 |
168/195 |
| Education expenditure, % of GDP |
1.23%
2023 |
186/193 |
| Military expenditure, % of GDP |
0.19%
2013 |
161/163 |
| Armed forces personnel |
129,000
2020 |
47/174 |
| Deficit/surplus, % of GDP |
-0.87%
2025 |
39/188 |
| Unemployment rate |
1.21%
2022 |
185/196 |
| Services, % of GDP |
43.5%
2024 |
165/191 |
| Industry, % of GDP |
29%
2024 |
62/194 |
| Economic freedom index |
51.1
2025 |
156/197 |
| Income share by richest 10% |
31.2%
2018 |
45/169 |
| Income share by poorest 10% |
3%
2018 |
60/169 |
| Total reserves including gold |
$1.77B
2023 |
129/177 |
| Personal remittances received |
$247M
2024 |
132/190 |
| International tourist arrivals |
886,400
2020 |
100/188 |
| International tourism as share of exports |
3.51%
2020 |
108/184 |
| Banked people share |
37.7%
2024 |
136/158 |
Energy
|
Laos
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy use, kg of oil equivalent per capita |
815 kg
2022 |
106/177 |
| GDP PPP per kg equivalent of energy use |
$10.8
2022 |
122/173 |
| Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions |
26 megatons
2023 |
78/187 |
| CO2 emissions per capita |
3.39 tons
2023 |
80/187 |
| Fossil fuel energy use share |
0%
2022 |
159/176 |
| Renewable energy use share |
49.2%
2022 |
50/193 |
| Alternative and nuclear energy use share |
54.2%
2022 |
3/147 |
| Net energy imports use share |
-49%
2022 |
113/144 |
| Electric power consumption per capita |
1,264 kWh
2022 |
97/147 |
| Renewable electricity output share |
63.3%
2021 |
49/192 |
| Hydroelectric share |
75.9%
2022 |
17/192 |
| Nuclear share |
0%
2021 |
111/192 |
| Electricity access |
96.5%
2023 |
131/195 |
Society
|
Laos
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| % of world population |
0.1%
2024 |
103/197 |
| Annual migration change |
-10,284
2024 |
135/196 |
| Urban population |
38.9%
2024 |
156/195 |
| Male:Female ratio |
50:50
2024 |
N/A |
| Average male height |
5.34 ft
2025 |
189/190 |
| Average female height |
5.02 ft
2025 |
185/190 |
| Quality of life index |
26.2
2025 |
166/197 |
| Corruption Perceptions Index |
33
2024 |
132/197 |
| Higher education index |
17
2025 |
153/183 |
| Homicides per 100K people |
7.01
2015 |
56/197 |
| Road traffic mortality per 100K people |
17.9
2019 |
75/197 |
| Visa free countries |
62
2025 |
165/195 |
| Adult literacy rate |
75.6%
2023 |
163/196 |
| English speaking |
6%
2025 |
144/197 |
| People using the Internet |
63.6%
2023 |
130/195 |
Health
|
Laos
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Government health expenditure per capita |
$41.3
2022 |
173/191 |
| Out-of-pocket health expenditure per capita |
$11.9
2022 |
170/191 |
| Life expectancy |
69.5 years
2025 |
140/197 |
| Foreign aid share of health expenditure |
36.3%
2022 |
17/178 |
| Physicians per 1,000 people |
0.33
2021 |
147/193 |
| Maternal mortality per 100K births |
112
2023 |
63/193 |
| Mortality rate before reaching 5 years of age, per 1,000 live births |
39
2023 |
45/192 |
| Obesity rate |
8.32%
2022 |
168/189 |
| Diabetes prevalence |
6.7%
2024 |
142/195 |
| Air quality index |
20
2025 |
159/197 |
| Tobacco use prevalence |
27.2%
2022 |
41/164 |
| Pure alcohol consumption per capita |
10.8 liters
2020 |
15/186 |
Territory
|
Laos
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| % of world land |
0.15%
2025 |
79/197 |
| Land area per capita |
11,469 sq mi
2024 |
48/197 |
| Agricultural land area |
8,831 sq mi
2025 |
113/194 |
| Forest area |
63,676 sq mi
2025 |
41/196 |
| Roads length |
24,598 mi
2009 |
75/175 |
Compare Laos with other countries
Relevant pages:
Laos topic pages:
Facts comparisons
