Laos Flag

Laos

Population

8,004,866

Estimated as of Oct 22, 2026View source
Population rank
103rd
Share of world
0.1%
Annual change
+100,9711.36%

Population of Laos

5M10M15M20M95% prediction intervalProjected peak20268M2050 projection9.8M↑ 22% from 202619601980200020202040206020802100

Source: United Nations — World Population Prospects (2024 Revision)

Current population estimate: 8,004,866. 2050 projection: 9,757,286.Use the arrow keys on the chart to inspect individual years.

Historical population estimates for Laos. Annual change is shown as a percentage.
20267,974,0171.36%103
20257,873,0461.39%103
20207,346,5331.51%104
20197,237,6361.54%104
20187,128,0451.57%104
20177,018,1471.58%106
20156,801,6451.43%106
20106,334,1941.54%106
20055,869,5231.56%104
20005,431,2121.96%103

Showing 10 of 19 years.

Population by City

Vientiane is home to 680,798 people, 8.54% of Laos' population.

City population600K300K100K
Vientiane 680.8KLuang Prabang 82.6KPakse 81.7KSavannakhet 72.9KPhonsavan 64.0KHouayxay 51.8KOudomxai 47.2KPhonthong 43.5KLuang Namtha 41.1KPaklay 39.9K
Largest cities by 2026 population and share of the national population.
1Vientiane680.8K8.54%
2Luang Prabang82.6K1.04%
3Pakse81.7K1.03%
4Savannakhet72.9K0.91%
5Phonsavan64.0K0.80%
6Houayxay51.8K0.65%
7Oudomxai47.2K0.59%
8Phonthong43.5K0.55%
9Luang Namtha41.1K0.51%
10Paklay39.9K0.50%

Laos by the Numbers

Estimated as of Oct 22, 2026

Population
Laos is home to an estimated 8,004,866 people, the 103rd largest population in the world.
Daily change
Laos has a net population change of approximately 273 people per day, driven by 438 births, 135 deaths, and net emigration of 30 people.
Share of world
Laos makes up 0.1% of the world's population and 0.16% of Asia's.
Density
34.5 people per km² of land (89.5 per mi²), ranking 180th among countries and territories.
Urban living
40.31% of people live in urban areas.

Laos Demographics

Age & longevity

MaleFemale100+ years, male: 8100+ years, female: 2895–99 years, male: 13095–99 years, female: 30390–94 years, male: 1,05390–94 years, female: 1,92285–89 years, male: 4,70085–89 years, female: 7,26680–84 years, male: 12,82680–84 years, female: 18,30475–79 years, male: 28,16775–79 years, female: 35,53370–74 years, male: 51,97770–74 years, female: 60,11165–69 years, male: 81,24165–69 years, female: 91,87160–64 years, male: 110,55260–64 years, female: 122,45955–59 years, male: 138,71455–59 years, female: 146,12950–54 years, male: 171,97150–54 years, female: 173,35145–49 years, male: 211,61945–49 years, female: 208,25940–44 years, male: 262,26540–44 years, female: 256,34235–39 years, male: 306,97735–39 years, female: 302,25330–34 years, male: 331,56230–34 years, female: 328,49925–29 years, male: 355,80525–29 years, female: 347,88020–24 years, male: 358,95420–24 years, female: 349,86015–19 years, male: 377,66515–19 years, female: 366,50510–14 years, male: 393,54010–14 years, female: 379,3685–9 years, male: 405,4325–9 years, female: 389,0150–4 years, male: 400,4400–4 years, female: 383,162100+95–9990–9485–8980–8475–7970–7465–6960–6455–5950–5445–4940–4435–3930–3425–2920–2415–1910–145–90–4100K100K200K200K300K300K

Hover or tap an age group to see exact counts. Use the up and down arrow keys to inspect age groups.

Median age

26.3 yrs

World: 31

Life expectancy

69.7 yrs

World: 73.8

Male

50.23%

Female

49.77%

Life expectancy 67.5Life expectancy 72.1

Ethnicity

53.2%

Lao

  • Lao53.2%
  • Other11.6%
  • Khmou11%
  • Hmong9.2%
  • Phouthay3.4%
  • Tai3.1%
  • Makong2.5%
  • Katong2.2%
  • Lue2%
  • Akha1.8%
Data notes

Source estimate: 2015 est.

Religion

64.7%

Buddhist, the largest religion

  • Buddhist64.7%
  • None31.4%
  • Other/not stated2.1%
  • Christian1.7%
Data notes

Source estimate: 2015 est.

Related Pages

Sources

  1. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - United Nations population estimates and projections.
  2. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - Laos United Nations Graphs/Profiles
  3. World Bank / UN World Urbanization Prospects - 2025: Urban population (% of total population), using national definitions.
  4. Lao Statistics Bureau