Laos is a country in Southeast Asia. The country's population was estimated at about 7.43 million in 2021, dispersed unevenly across the country. Most people live in valleys of the Mekong River and its tributaries. Vientiane Prefecture, which includes Vientiane, the capital and largest city of the country, had 820,924 residents as of the 2015 census. The country's population density is 26.7/km2.
As per the 2015 census, the total population was 6.49 million (3.24 million females, 3.25 million males), an increase of 870 thousand since the previous 2005 census.
Overview
Population graph of Laos, number of inhabitants in millions between 1800 and 2021 (Our World in Data data, 2022)
The demographic makeup of the population is uncertain as the government divides the people into three groups according to the altitude at which they live, rather than according to ethnic origin. The lowland Lao (Lao Loum) account for 68%, upland Lao (Lao Theung) for 22%, and the highland Lao (Lao Soung, including the Hmong and the Yao) for 9%.
Ethnic Lao, the principal lowland inhabitants and politically and culturally dominant group, make up the bulk of the Lao Loum and around 60% of the total population. The Lao are a branch of the Tai people who began migrating southward from China in the first millennium A.D. In the north, there are mountain tribes of Miao–Yao, Austro-Asiatic, Tibeto-Burman Hmong, Yao, Akha, and Lahu who migrated into the region in the 19th century. Collectively, they are known as Lao Sung or highland Lao.
In the central and southern mountains, Mon–Khmer tribes known as Lao Theung or upland Lao, predominate. Some Chinese minorities remain, particularly in the towns, but many Laotian Chinese were forced to leave during 1975–80 when Laos followed the anti-Chinese policy of Vietnam.
The predominant religion is Theravada Buddhism. Animism is common among the mountain tribes. Buddhism and spirit worship coexist easily. There is a small number of Christians and Muslims.
The official and dominant language is Lao, a tonal language of the Tai linguistic group. Midslope and highland Lao speak tribal languages. French, once common in government and commerce, has declined in use, while knowledge of English—the language of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)—has increased in recent years.
With a median age of 19.3, Laos has the youngest population of Asia.
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Lao men drinking lauhai (in Lao) or bujkdong (in Khmuic), a type of Lao rice whiskey which is ancient khmuic rice beer.A primary school in a village in northern rural Laos
Population
According to the 2022 revision of the World Population Prospects[2][3], the population of Laos increased from 1.7 million in 1950 to 7.4 million in 2021. Until the year 2005, the proportion of children 0–14 years of age was over 40% of the total population. Due to decreasing fertility rates this proportion decreased to 31.4% by 2020. The proportion of elderly people is still very low (4.3%), although the proportion doubled between 1950 and 2020.
Total population (thousands)
Population aged 0–14 (%)
Population aged 15–64 (%)
Population aged 65+ (%)
1950
1,685
40.4
57.4
2.1
1955
1,893
41.3
56.3
2.4
1960
2,123
42.0
55.4
2.7
1965
2,379
42.5
54.7
2.9
1970
2,675
42.5
54.4
3.1
1975
3,013
42.9
53.9
3.2
1980
3,298
44.1
52.6
3.3
1985
3,742
44.1
52.5
3.4
1990
4,314
43.9
52.7
3.4
1995
4,927
43.9
52.7
3.4
2000
5,431
42.6
53.8
3.5
2005
5,853
39.7
56.5
3.8
2010
6,323
35.9
60.2
3.9
2015
6,787
33.1
62.7
4.2
2020
7,319
31.4
64.3
4.3
Structure of the population
Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 01.III.2005):[4]
Age group
Male
Female
Total
%
Total
2,800,551
2,821,431
5,621,982
100
0–4
351 559
349 356
700 915
12.47
5–9
379 137
370 071
749 208
13.33
10–14
391 785
375 371
767 156
13.65
15–19
323 729
323 540
647 269
11.51
20–24
253 926
261 371
515 297
9.17
25–29
211 279
218 330
429 609
7.64
30–34
176 515
183 480
359 995
6.40
35–39
164 415
165 362
329 777
5.87
40–44
132 335
133 532
265 867
4.73
45–49
113 869
113 298
227 167
4.04
50–54
86 770
91 210
177 980
3.17
55–59
62 691
65 640
128 331
2.28
60–64
50 006
55 008
105 014
1.87
65–69
38 289
41 251
79 540
1.41
70–74
27 652
31 927
59 579
1.06
75–79
17 964
19 208
37 172
0.66
80–84
10 402
12 180
22 582
0.40
85–89
4 631
5 697
10 328
0.18
90–94
1 964
2 781
4 745
0.08
95–99
982
1 393
2 375
0.04
100+
480
936
1 416
0.03
unknown
171
489
660
0.01
Age group
Male
Female
Total
Per cent
0–14
1,122,481
1,094,798
2,217,279
39.44
15–64
1,575,535
1,610,771
3,186,306
56.68
65+
102 364
115 373
217 737
3.87
Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 01.III.2015):
Age group
Male
Female
Total
%
Total
3,254,770
3,237,458
6,492,228
100
0–4
346 462
335 521
681 983
10.50
5–9
345 380
333 829
679 209
10.46
10–14
363 026
355 580
718 606
11.07
15–19
354 360
344 650
699 010
10.77
20–24
325 601
328 436
654 037
10.07
25–29
308 988
307 000
615 988
9.49
30–34
250 383
245 851
496 234
7.64
35–39
212 523
207 560
420 083
6.47
40–44
170 808
173 062
343 870
5.30
45–49
149 656
146 251
295 907
4.56
50–54
127 272
140 146
267 418
4.12
55–59
98 615
98 992
197 607
3.04
60–64
74 106
73 073
147 179
2.27
65–69
47 563
51 338
98 901
1.52
70–74
32 930
38 497
71 427
1.10
75–79
21 871
25 207
47 078
0.73
80–84
13 519
16 671
30 190
0.47
85–89
6 744
8 523
15 267
0.24
90–94
3 041
3 995
7 036
0.11
95+
1 922
3 276
5 198
0.08
Age group
Male
Female
Total
Per cent
0–14
1,054,868
1,024,930
2,079,798
32.04
15–64
2,072,312
2,065,021
4,137,333
63.73
65+
127 590
147 507
275 097
4.24
Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2020) (Because of rounding, totals are not in all cases the sum of the respective components. Estimates or projections based on the 2015 population census.):[5]
In Luang Prabang, a young woman at the time of a Hmong Meeting Festival.
Specialists are largely in agreement as to the ethnolinguistic classification of the ethnic groups of Laos.[11] For the purposes of the 1995 census, the government of Laos recognised 149 ethnic groups within 47 main ethnicities.[11] whereas the Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC) recently revised the list to include 49 ethnicities consisting of over 160 ethnic groups.[11]
The term ethnic minorities is used by some to classify the non-Lao ethnic groups, while the term indigenous peoples is not used by the Lao PDR.[11] These 160 ethnic groups speak a total of 82 distinct living languages.[12]
Lao 53.2%, Khmu 11%, Hmong 9.2%, and other (over 100 minor ethnic groups) 26.6% (2015 census).[13]
Population of Laos according to ethnic group in 1985, 1995, 2005, and 2015
The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 62.39 years (2011 est.)
male: 60.50 years (2011 est.)
female: 64.36 years (2011 est.)
Nationality: noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)
adjective: Lao or Laotian
Religions:
Buddhist 67%, Christian 1.5%, other and unspecified 31.5% (see Religion in Laos)
Languages:Lao (official), French, English, Vietnamese, and various ethnic languages
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 73%
male: 83%
female: 63% (2005 est.)
