Country or area · South-Eastern Asia · Asia · UN WPP 2024

Laos population

UN name: Lao People's Democratic Republic

Laos population now

7,998,484

A projection read at this second, not a count: the UN's totals for 1 January 2026 and 2027, joined by a straight line. 95% range for 31 December 2026: 7.9–8.2 million.

Mid-2023, UN estimate: 7,664,992

Year: 2026; projection · medium
Population, mid-2026: 7.97402 million; 95% range, 31 Dec: 7.9–8.2 million
Median age: 26.3
Aged 65+: 5.0%

Move through time, 1950–2100

2023 | 2024 peak 2068

male female projection · one cell = 2,000 people

How to read this: one row for each age, newborns at the bottom; men on the left, women on the right.

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries

LAO · 1950–2100 · in brief

Laos in numbers

In mid-2023 there were 7,664,992 people in Laos: the 103rd-largest population of the 236 countries and areas the UN reports, and 0.09% of the world's people. That is 4.6 times its 1950 population of 1.7 million.

The UN's medium projection has it peaking in 2068 at 10.2 million, then falling to 9.3 million by 2100. The projection is uncertain: on 1 January 2100 the UN's 95% range runs from 4.7 million to 17.9 million.

The medium projection has deaths passing births in 2074 and staying above them from then on.

The median age was 19.8 in 1950 and 25.3 in 2023; the projection has 46.0 in 2100. 4.5% of people were 65 or older in 2023, against 25.2% projected for 2100. The working-age population (15–64) is projected to peak in 2058 at 6.8 million.

By size it is the 103rd country in 2023; the projection puts it 99th in 2050 and 105th in 2100. In the medium projection it overtakes Belarus in 2033, Austria in 2038 and Hungary in 2040. It is overtaken by the Republic of the Congo in 2041, the Central African Republic in 2045 and Mauritania in 2053.

Population, mid-2023: 7,664,992
Rank by population, 2023: 103 of 236
Share of the world, 2023: 0.09%
Change in a year, mid-2022 to mid-2023: +1.40% · +105,984 people
People per km² of land, 2023: 33
Land area, 2023: 230,800 km²
Births, 2023: 163,043
Deaths, 2023: 47,682
Net migration, 2023: −10,003
Children per woman, 2023: 2.42
Median age, 2023: 25.3 years
Life expectancy at birth, 2023: 69.0 years
In a city, 2025: 5 of every 100
Population, mid-1950: 1,684,550
Projected, mid-2050: 9,757,286
Projected, mid-2100: 9,256,278

LAO · 1950–2100 · total population

Population, 1950–2100

peak 2068estimates | projections05 m10 m15 m20 m1950197520002025205020752100

estimate projection, up to the bottom of the 95% range 95% range medium projection. Each column is the population on 1 January of one year; the paper rules cut it into equal cells.

Show the numbers: Laos, 1950–2100

Laos: population on 1 January, births, deaths, fertility and life expectancy, 1950–2100
Year	Kind	Population, 1 Jan	95% range	Births	Deaths	Children per woman	Life expectancy
1950	estimate	1,664,173		81,154	40,403	6.25	38.9
1951	estimate	1,704,927		82,185	41,554	6.23	39.2
1952	estimate	1,745,558		83,529	42,281	6.24	39.4
1953	estimate	1,786,800		84,877	42,855	6.25	39.7
1954	estimate	1,828,824		85,995	43,389	6.25	40.0
1955	estimate	1,871,432		87,427	43,867	6.26	40.3
1956	estimate	1,914,994		88,906	44,441	6.27	40.6
1957	estimate	1,959,464		90,257	44,908	6.27	40.9
1958	estimate	2,004,805		91,844	45,403	6.28	41.2
1959	estimate	2,051,248		93,510	47,036	6.29	40.8
1960	estimate	2,097,721		95,149	47,574	6.29	41.0
1961	estimate	2,145,306		97,112	48,120	6.31	41.3
1962	estimate	2,194,285		98,972	47,728	6.31	42.3
1963	estimate	2,245,534		101,006	49,950	6.32	41.5
1964	estimate	2,296,587		103,007	50,526	6.31	41.9
1965	estimate	2,349,065		105,316	51,048	6.32	42.2
1966	estimate	2,403,334		107,542	52,046	6.31	42.4
1967	estimate	2,458,835		110,039	52,277	6.31	42.9
1968	estimate	2,516,595		112,524	52,956	6.30	43.2
1969	estimate	2,576,159		115,329	53,735	6.30	43.5
1970	estimate	2,637,759		118,388	54,490	6.31	43.8
1971	estimate	2,701,645		121,126	55,167	6.29	44.1
1972	estimate	2,767,611		124,046	55,951	6.28	44.4
1973	estimate	2,835,709		127,240	56,730	6.28	44.7
1974	estimate	2,905,436		130,668	56,017	6.29	45.9
1975	estimate	2,974,086		133,526	56,803	6.29	46.1
1976	estimate	3,036,957		135,811	58,235	6.29	46.0
1977	estimate	3,092,796		137,489	58,338	6.29	46.4
1978	estimate	3,145,049		138,845	58,241	6.30	46.8
1979	estimate	3,198,432		140,562	57,711	6.31	47.5
1980	estimate	3,257,973		142,853	56,305	6.33	48.6
1981	estimate	3,327,174		145,932	55,969	6.35	49.2
1982	estimate	3,406,087		149,837	55,778	6.37	49.9
1983	estimate	3,493,965		154,168	55,991	6.38	50.5
1984	estimate	3,588,038		158,635	56,318	6.37	51.0
1985	estimate	3,687,649		162,579	56,535	6.33	51.6
1986	estimate	3,792,320		165,940	56,675	6.25	52.1
1987	estimate	3,901,109		170,045	57,040	6.21	52.6
1988	estimate	4,014,115		174,398	57,345	6.16	53.1
1989	estimate	4,131,087		178,594	57,551	6.10	53.6
1990	estimate	4,250,860		183,213	57,912	6.06	54.0
1991	estimate	4,373,050		187,186	57,665	5.99	54.7
1992	estimate	4,497,185		190,344	57,925	5.90	55.1
1993	estimate	4,622,108		193,171	57,876	5.80	55.6
1994	estimate	4,748,012		192,365	58,164	5.60	55.8
1995	estimate	4,870,428		189,629	57,389	5.36	56.3
1996	estimate	4,988,390		187,855	56,712	5.15	56.8
1997	estimate	5,102,967		186,408	56,022	4.96	57.3
1998	estimate	5,201,056		184,168	55,757	4.79	57.5
1999	estimate	5,295,476		182,599	55,348	4.64	57.9
2000	estimate	5,386,093		178,694	54,491	4.43	58.3
2001	estimate	5,476,332		177,307	53,457	4.29	58.9
2002	estimate	5,566,632		174,948	52,837	4.13	59.3
2003	estimate	5,655,145		174,697	52,538	4.02	59.6
2004	estimate	5,740,745		173,880	51,996	3.90	60.1
2005	estimate	5,822,506		168,974	50,805	3.69	60.7
2006	estimate	5,916,540		169,147	50,541	3.56	61.1
2007	estimate	6,009,860		170,327	50,346	3.44	61.7
2008	estimate	6,102,613		171,444	50,406	3.33	62.3
2009	estimate	6,195,325		172,074	49,900	3.23	63.0
2010	estimate	6,287,959		172,255	49,740	3.14	63.7
2011	estimate	6,380,429		172,082	49,219	3.05	64.5
2012	estimate	6,472,751		170,630	49,304	2.95	65.1
2013	estimate	6,565,205		169,404	49,558	2.87	65.7
2014	estimate	6,657,564		167,909	49,808	2.80	66.3
2015	estimate	6,748,779		169,785	51,063	2.80	66.7
2016	estimate	6,854,512		169,731	49,749	2.74	67.0
2017	estimate	6,963,093		169,257	48,742	2.69	67.3
2018	estimate	7,073,201		168,212	48,226	2.63	67.6
2019	estimate	7,182,889		167,556	47,765	2.59	67.9
2020	estimate	7,292,382		166,166	47,553	2.54	68.3
2021	estimate	7,400,683		165,066	49,746	2.49	67.8
2022	estimate	7,505,704		163,976	47,355	2.46	68.7
2023	estimate	7,612,311		163,043	47,682	2.42	69.0
2024	estimate	7,717,674		162,644	48,073	2.40	69.2
2025	projection	7,821,964	7.8–7.9 million	161,375	48,565	2.36	69.5
2026	projection	7,924,127	7.8–8.0 million	160,077	49,165	2.33	69.7
2027	projection	8,023,908	7.9–8.2 million	158,730	49,802	2.30	69.9
2028	projection	8,121,935	8.0–8.3 million	157,497	50,554	2.27	70.2
2029	projection	8,217,650	8.0–8.4 million	156,158	51,334	2.24	70.4
2030	projection	8,311,151	8.1–8.6 million	154,942	52,165	2.21	70.6
2031	projection	8,402,895	8.1–8.7 million	153,935	53,084	2.19	70.8
2032	projection	8,492,636	8.1–8.9 million	152,963	54,025	2.16	71.0
2033	projection	8,580,265	8.2–9.0 million	152,105	55,020	2.14	71.2
2034	projection	8,665,389	8.2–9.2 million	151,238	56,082	2.12	71.4
2035	projection	8,748,265	8.2–9.3 million	150,505	57,132	2.10	71.7
2036	projection	8,829,248	8.2–9.5 million	149,806	58,290	2.08	71.8
2037	projection	8,908,510	8.3–9.6 million	149,082	59,454	2.06	72.0
2038	projection	8,985,975	8.3–9.8 million	148,356	60,670	2.04	72.2
2039	projection	9,061,743	8.3–9.9 million	147,578	61,919	2.03	72.4
2040	projection	9,134,041	8.3–10.1 million	146,455	63,092	2.01	72.6
2041	projection	9,203,962	8.3–10.2 million	145,316	64,276	1.99	72.8
2042	projection	9,272,242	8.4–10.3 million	144,367	65,547	1.97	72.9
2043	projection	9,338,569	8.4–10.5 million	143,366	66,800	1.96	73.1
2044	projection	9,401,524	8.4–10.6 million	142,416	68,057	1.95	73.3
2045	projection	9,463,091	8.4–10.7 million	141,372	69,337	1.94	73.4
2046	projection	9,521,914	8.4–10.9 million	140,074	70,645	1.92	73.6
2047	projection	9,578,765	8.4–11.1 million	138,986	71,982	1.91	73.8
2048	projection	9,632,847	8.4–11.2 million	137,726	73,425	1.90	73.9
2049	projection	9,685,231	8.4–11.4 million	136,638	74,837	1.89	74.1
2050	projection	9,733,998	8.4–11.5 million	135,503	76,268	1.89	74.2
2051	projection	9,780,573	8.4–11.6 million	134,554	77,732	1.88	74.4
2052	projection	9,825,000	8.3–11.8 million	133,517	79,237	1.87	74.5
2053	projection	9,866,698	8.3–11.9 million	132,145	80,740	1.86	74.7
2054	projection	9,905,674	8.3–12.1 million	130,970	82,240	1.86	74.8
2055	projection	9,941,744	8.3–12.2 million	129,868	83,788	1.85	75.0
2056	projection	9,974,344	8.3–12.4 million	128,695	85,365	1.84	75.2
2057	projection	10,004,979	8.2–12.5 million	127,412	86,969	1.83	75.3
2058	projection	10,033,199	8.2–12.7 million	126,266	88,616	1.83	75.4
2059	projection	10,058,709	8.1–12.8 million	125,261	90,178	1.82	75.6
2060	projection	10,080,995	8.1–13.0 million	124,305	91,843	1.82	75.7
2061	projection	10,100,914	8.0–13.1 million	123,235	93,456	1.81	75.9
2062	projection	10,118,162	8.0–13.3 million	122,198	95,048	1.81	76.0
2063	projection	10,132,294	7.9–13.4 million	121,157	96,635	1.80	76.2
2064	projection	10,144,135	7.9–13.6 million	120,191	98,194	1.80	76.3
2065	projection	10,153,425	7.8–13.6 million	119,056	99,835	1.79	76.5
2066	projection	10,160,097	7.8–13.8 million	118,129	101,350	1.79	76.6
2067	projection	10,165,248	7.7–13.9 million	117,253	102,903	1.79	76.8
2068	projection	10,166,975	7.6–14.0 million	116,287	104,421	1.78	76.9
2069	projection	10,166,626	7.6–14.1 million	115,383	106,053	1.78	77.1
2070	projection	10,163,241	7.5–14.4 million	114,427	107,530	1.78	77.2
2071	projection	10,157,099	7.4–14.5 million	113,307	108,837	1.77	77.3
2072	projection	10,150,002	7.3–14.6 million	112,350	110,157	1.77	77.5
2073	projection	10,140,324	7.2–14.7 million	111,404	111,385	1.77	77.6
2074	projection	10,128,074	7.1–14.8 million	110,370	112,499	1.77	77.8
2075	projection	10,113,728	7.0–14.9 million	109,391	113,678	1.76	77.9
2076	projection	10,097,604	6.9–15.0 million	108,459	114,672	1.76	78.0
2077	projection	10,080,424	6.9–15.1 million	107,364	115,593	1.76	78.2
2078	projection	10,060,399	6.8–15.3 million	106,420	116,461	1.76	78.3
2079	projection	10,038,875	6.7–15.5 million	105,420	117,245	1.75	78.5
2080	projection	10,015,552	6.6–15.6 million	104,491	117,838	1.75	78.6
2081	projection	9,991,225	6.5–15.7 million	103,488	118,427	1.75	78.8
2082	projection	9,965,228	6.4–15.8 million	102,570	118,958	1.75	78.9
2083	projection	9,937,878	6.3–16.0 million	101,699	119,560	1.75	79.0
2084	projection	9,908,666	6.2–16.1 million	100,760	120,085	1.74	79.2
2085	projection	9,878,479	6.1–16.2 million	99,820	120,530	1.74	79.3
2086	projection	9,846,376	6.1–16.3 million	98,930	120,974	1.74	79.4
2087	projection	9,812,810	6.0–16.5 million	97,942	121,318	1.74	79.6
2088	projection	9,778,077	5.9–16.6 million	97,053	121,591	1.74	79.7
2089	projection	9,741,869	5.8–16.7 million	96,031	121,820	1.73	79.8
2090	projection	9,704,547	5.7–16.8 million	95,281	122,031	1.73	80.0
2091	projection	9,666,137	5.6–16.9 million	94,360	122,167	1.73	80.1
2092	projection	9,626,548	5.5–17.0 million	93,420	122,335	1.73	80.3
2093	projection	9,586,295	5.4–17.1 million	92,600	122,592	1.73	80.4
2094	projection	9,544,980	5.3–17.2 million	91,795	122,731	1.73	80.5
2095	projection	9,502,839	5.2–17.4 million	90,865	122,799	1.72	80.7
2096	projection	9,460,134	5.1–17.4 million	90,077	122,911	1.72	80.8
2097	projection	9,416,596	5.0–17.5 million	89,268	123,083	1.72	80.9
2098	projection	9,372,104	4.9–17.6 million	88,438	123,286	1.72	81.0
2099	projection	9,326,467	4.8–17.8 million	87,522	123,443	1.71	81.2
2100	projection	9,279,907	4.7–17.9 million	86,725	123,401	1.71	81.3

Show the numbers: Laos, mid-2026, by single year of age

Laos: population by single year of age, mid-2026
Age	Male	Female
0	80,005	76,480
1	79,996	76,562
2	80,050	76,601
3	80,080	76,638
4	80,310	76,884
5	80,590	77,188
6	80,942	77,578
7	81,176	77,876
8	81,321	78,097
9	81,403	78,276
10	81,221	78,208
11	79,934	77,018
12	78,301	75,434
13	77,401	74,630
14	76,684	74,079
15	76,209	73,746
16	75,916	73,590
17	75,632	73,432
18	75,228	73,126
19	74,679	72,609
20	73,586	71,530
21	72,154	70,112
22	71,238	69,216
23	70,810	69,099
24	71,167	69,902
25	72,087	70,847
26	72,644	70,762
27	72,051	69,826
28	70,280	68,624
29	68,743	67,822
30	67,926	67,300
31	67,162	66,432
32	66,330	65,639
33	65,519	64,996
34	64,624	64,131
35	63,650	63,070
36	62,750	61,982
37	61,787	60,773
38	60,328	59,162
39	58,464	57,268
40	56,504	55,322
41	54,552	53,342
42	52,545	51,308
43	50,421	49,238
44	48,243	47,134
45	46,169	45,106
46	44,152	43,208
47	42,120	41,436
48	40,342	39,922
49	38,835	38,588
50	37,377	37,272
51	35,827	35,915
52	34,263	34,577
53	32,885	33,376
54	31,620	32,210
55	30,322	30,990
56	28,925	29,960
57	27,587	29,234
58	26,460	28,452
59	25,419	27,495
60	24,425	26,570
61	23,331	25,600
62	22,078	24,494
63	20,914	23,415
64	19,806	22,381
65	18,609	21,274
66	17,416	19,896
67	16,266	18,284
68	15,083	16,836
69	13,867	15,583
70	12,676	14,364
71	11,497	13,144
72	10,329	11,948
73	9,238	10,841
74	8,235	9,814
75	7,305	8,840
76	6,409	7,912
77	5,542	7,025
78	4,784	6,234
79	4,126	5,522
80	3,534	4,854
81	2,984	4,206
82	2,490	3,593
83	2,082	3,061
84	1,736	2,589
85	1,428	2,156
86	1,146	1,752
87	899	1,393
88	698	1,104
89	529	862
90	386	656
91	271	484
92	184	349
93	126	252
94	84	180
95	54	123
96	34	80
97	21	50
98	12	30
99	7	18
100+	8	28

LAO · 1950–2100 · every age, every year

Laos, every age in every year

Each column is a year and each row an age; the denser the ink in a cell, the more people. Everyone born in the same year climbs one 45° diagonal, so famines, baby booms and migration show up as streaks. Select a cell to follow its generation.

LAO · ages 15–64

Who does the work in Laos

On the UN's projection, Laos will have the most working-age people it ever has in 2058: 6,773,510 people aged 15–64. In 2023 it had 4,975,110.

100 aged 15–64

47 children

7 aged 65+

aged 15–64 children under 15 aged 65 and over

How to read this: the orange squares are 100 people aged 15–64 in 2023, and the rows below are how many children (teal) and how many people aged 65 or older (violet) lived alongside them.

Fewer than 50 dependants live alongside every 100 people aged 15–64 in 32 years: 2031–2062.

fewer than 50 dependants per 100 the same, projected 50 or more

How to read this: one stripe a year from 1950 to 2100. A stripe takes colour in a year when fewer than 50 dependants live alongside every 100 people of working age, and stays grey otherwise; hatching means the year is projected.

How every country compares

LAO · arrivals minus departures

Who arrives in Laos, and who leaves

In 2020–2025 Laos loses 10,214 people a year: everyone who arrives, minus everyone who leaves. The age at which that happens most is 20–24, at 2,076 a year more leaving than arriving.

one square = 200 people a year

020406080+

more arrive than leave more leave than arrive

How to read this: left to right is age, from babies to 100. Blue squares above the line are ages at which more people arrive than leave; orange squares below it, ages at which more leave than arrive. These are the UN's projection for 2020–2025. There is no record of migration by age before 2020.

Across the counted years, 1950 to 2023, its biggest single-year gain was 0 (1950); its biggest loss, 40,120 (2004).

In 2024, 51,446 people living in Laos had been born in another country, fewer than 1 of every 100 people there, against fewer than 1 in 1990.

How migration works everywhere

LAO · births by the mother's age · 1950–2100

Who has the babies in Laos

Of every 100 babies born in Laos in 2023, 19 had a mother under 20, 73 a mother aged 20 to 34 and 8 a mother aged 35 or older. In 1950 it was 7 under 20 and 20 aged 35 or older.

1950
7 · 73 · 20

2023
19 · 73 · 8

2050 · projected
19 · 74 · 7

The mother's age: under 20 20 to 34 35 or older projected

How to read this: each block is 100 babies born in that year, one square each, coloured by how old the mother was. The numbers under a block are the three groups, youngest mothers first.

Babies born, 2023: 163,043
Average age when women have a baby: 26.3 years; 30.2 in 1950
Babies a year per 1,000 girls aged 15–19: 82; 58 in 1950

Babies by the mother's age, 1950–2100

Babies born in Laos by the mother's age
Mother's age	1950	1975	2000	2023	2050 projected	2100 projected
10–14	434	1,199	2,689	1,105	660	70
15–19	4,916	13,005	29,465	29,450	25,205	5,682
20–24	21,015	36,804	53,905	50,882	39,631	17,020
25–29	21,133	33,425	41,907	43,561	39,296	29,228
30–34	17,157	25,181	28,027	24,135	20,995	22,906
35–39	11,395	16,017	15,411	10,516	7,750	9,672
40–44	4,353	6,653	6,015	3,007	1,818	2,013
45–49	720	1,186	1,214	375	145	132
50–54	31	56	61	12	3	2
All babies	81,154	133,526	178,694	163,043	135,503	86,725

The UN's births for each year, split by the mother's age in the UN's own proportions.

LAO · healthy years · 2021

Years in good health in Laos

In Laos, WHO puts the healthy years a newborn could expect in 2021 at 60.4 (95% range 59.6–61.4), out of 68.2 in all. The years in less than full health come to 7.8, below the world's 9.5: shorter lives leave fewer years in which to be ill.

Women

61.6 in full health, 8.9 not: 70.5 years

Men

59.3 in full health, 6.8 not: 66.1 years

a year in full health a year in less than full health

How to read this: each square is a year of life, each row ten years; filled squares are years in full health, rounded to whole years.

Women: 61.6 healthy years of 70.5. Men: 59.3 of 66.1.

LAO · forced from home · end of 2025

Displacement in Laos

UNHCR publishes no refugees, asylum-seekers or displaced people in or from Laos at the end of 2025.

That is an absence from the record rather than a measurement. This count covers the people one agency works with, and a country it does not work in is simply not in it.

In 2025, 117 people from Laos asked for asylum in another country. Of every 100 people from Laos whose claims were decided that year, 4 were given protection. Who asks for asylum, and who is given it

How the world's displacement is counted

LAO · of every 100 people

How people live in Laos

Of every 100 people in Laos in 2025, 5 lived in a city, 27 in a town or suburb and 68 in the countryside.

cities towns and suburbs rural areas

3.5 of every 100 have no electricity at home (2024). 34.4 of every 100 do not use the internet (2024).

How to read this: 100 squares, one for every 100th person, coloured by where they live, as the key says. The same rule is used in every country.

How the world's people live

LAO · adults 25 and over · 2020

How far people in Laos went in school

Of every 100 adults in Laos in 2020, 16 never went to school and 17 finished upper secondary or went further.

16 never went to school 16 some primary 40 finished primary 11 finished lower secondary 7 finished upper secondary 10 studied after school

Compare two generations. Aged 60–64, 34.4 of every 100 women and 13.6 of every 100 men never went to school; aged 25–29, 10.4 and 5.5.

The middle projection has its working-age people most numerous in 2055; those among them who finished upper secondary are most numerous later, in 2085.

How to read this: every adult here as one of 100 squares. The stronger the colour, the further that person went in school (the Wittgenstein Centre, 2020).

How far the world's people went in school

LAO · cities · 2025

Cities in Laos

Laos had 3 cities in 2025, home to 386,917 people. The largest, Vientiane, holds 3 of every 100 people in Laos.

Vientiane216,305
Pakse103,630
Luang Prabang66,982

How to read this: the 3 biggest cities here in 2025, drawn on a single scale so the bars can be compared. Each is a built-up area on the UN's rule rather than a city government's patch.

All the world's cities

Apparatus

Sources and method

Every figure on this page comes from the UN's World Population Prospects 2024: the annual country tables (estimates to 2023, projections with 95% intervals from 2024), and the population by single year of age and sex for the pyramid.

The censuses, surveys and registers behind the UN's estimates for Laos are listed, source by source, on the UN's own data sources page.

Sources: UN WPP 2024 · World Bank · UNHCR · country code lists · UN WUP 2025 · Wittgenstein Centre · WHO GHO · flag-icons · Natural Earth. Every source, its licence and how to cite it →

Checked before it was drawn

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries The pyramid for every year was checked against the published total. What that stamp counts, and what every page here has to pass before it can be built: how this site checks its figures.