Laos Population
Laos had an estimated population of 7,873,046 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 102nd most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.10% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +1.32% a year.
Laos at a glance
How Laos's population is changing
Laos's population is growing: +1.32% a year, which works out to about +103,910 people per year, or +284 a day. Births (20.9 per 1,000) and deaths (6.2 per 1,000) alone would give +1.47% a year; net migration removes about 10,645 people a year (−0.14%). Roughly one in every 1,043 people on Earth lives in Laos.
Population of Laos since 1960
In 1960, Laos had 2,121,514 people. By 2025 that was 7,873,046 — 3.7× larger. The fastest growth came between 1983 and 1993, when the population rose by 32%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 2,121,514 | — |
| 1970 | 2,669,702 | +25.8% |
| 1980 | 3,292,573 | +23.3% |
| 1990 | 4,311,955 | +31.0% |
| 2000 | 5,431,212 | +26.0% |
| 2010 | 6,334,194 | +16.6% |
| 2020 | 7,346,533 | +16.0% |
| 2025 | 7,873,046 | +7.2% |
Laos from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Laos at about 470,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 7,873,048 in 2025 (17× 1800) and projects 9,256,282 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2068 at 10,166,797 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 470,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 624,664 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 1,378,713 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 1,684,556 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 5,431,213 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 7,873,048 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 9,757,284 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 10,105,663 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 9,256,282 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Laos
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 7,873,046. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vientiane | 216,305 | UN urban centre | 2.75% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Savannakhet | 125,760 | GeoNames settlement | 1.60% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 3 | Pakse | 103,630 | UN urban centre | 1.32% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Thakhèk | 90,800 | GeoNames settlement | 1.15% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Luang Prabang | 66,982 | UN urban centre | 0.85% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 6 | Ban Khoan | 65,348 | GeoNames settlement | 0.83% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | Xam Nua | 56,900 | GeoNames settlement | 0.72% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Muang Phônsavan | 37,507 | GeoNames settlement | 0.48% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Ban Xénô | 25,135 | GeoNames settlement | 0.32% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Muang Xay | 25,000 | GeoNames settlement | 0.32% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Laos compares
Laos has almost the same population as Turkmenistan (7,618,847).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Laos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #100 |  Sierra Leone | 8,819,794 | +12% | compare → |
| #101 |  Togo | 8,591,626 | +9% | compare → |
| #103 |  Turkmenistan | 7,618,847 | −3% | compare → |
| #104 |  Hong Kong | 7,498,900 | −5% | compare → |
Compare Laos with any country →
Same region (East Asia & Pacific): China, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand.
Explore around Laos
Land neighbours (5)
China 1,406,585,000 · 178.7× the population · compare
Vietnam 101,598,527 · 12.9× the population · compare
Thailand 71,619,863 · 9.1× the population · compare
Myanmar 54,850,648 · 7.0× the population · compare
Cambodia 17,847,982 · 2.3× the population · compare
Laos's 5 neighbours together hold 1,652,502,020 people — 209.9× Laos's population. The most populous is China (1,406,585,000).
In its region
Laos is the 14th most populous of the 37 economies in East Asia & Pacific, holding 0.3% of the region's 2,367,527,180 people.
Rankings
Largest countries, fastest-growing, oldest populations, densest — all rankings.
Cities
Vientiane, Savannakhet, Pakse, Thakhèk, Luang Prabang, Ban Khoan, Xam Nua, Muang Phônsavan — all Laos's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Laos when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.