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Laos
Lao People's Democratic Republic · South-Eastern Asia
At a glance
CapitalVientiane
Most common first languageLao53.2% speak it as a mother tongue
Official languageLao
CurrencyLao kip
Drives on theright
Highest pointPhou Bia2,819 m
Biggest category of goods exportedmanufactured goods33% of goods exports, 2023
Services share of exports15.6%of everything sold abroad, 2024
CoastlineLandlockedno access to the sea
Internet domain.la
Laos by the numbers
Rank is out of the countries with data for that measure. Every figure is the latest year the source publishes.
| Measure | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| PopulationEveryone living in the country, all ages, counted mid-year. | 7.87m (2025) | 102nd of 209 |
| GDPThe total value of everything the country produces in a year, at current prices. | $18.3bn (2025) | 137th of 203 |
| Land areaTotal land area, excluding inland water and offshore territory. | 231k km² (2023) | 80th of 209 |
| Mobile subscriptionsActive mobile phone subscriptions — NOT the same as people. Many people hold two, so a country can have more subscriptions than residents. | 4.96m (2023) | 124th of 205 |
| Forest areaLand under natural or planted trees, whether or not it is productive. | 165k km² (2023) | 41st of 203 |
| Agricultural landCropland, land under permanent crops, and permanent pasture. | 22.9k km² (2023) | 113th of 206 |
| COâ‚‚ emissionsCarbon dioxide released in a year, in millions of tonnes. | 26 Mt (2024) | 79th of 198 |
| Urban populationThe number of people living in urban areas, as each country defines them. | 3.17m (2025) | 122nd of 209 |
| Life expectancyHow long a baby born today would live if death rates never changed. | 69.2 years (2024) | 151st of 209 |
| GDP per personEverything the country produces in a year, divided by its population. | $2,325 (2025) | 166th of 205 |
| Internet useThe share of people who have used the internet in the last three months. | 65.6% (2024) | 132nd of 191 |
| InflationHow much prices rose over the year, measured on a basket of consumer goods. | 7.7% (2025) | 34th of 182 |
| UnemploymentThe share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one. | 1.2% (2025) | 178th of 185 |
| Urban shareThe share of the population living in urban areas. | 40.3% (2025) | 165th of 209 |
| Births per womanHow many children a woman would have across her life at current birth rates. | 2.40 (2024) | 80th of 209 |
| COâ‚‚ per personCarbon dioxide from fuel and industry, divided by the population. | 3.31 t (2024) | 88th of 198 |
| Human Development IndexThe UN’s combined measure of health, education and income, on a scale from 0 to 1. | 0.617 (2023) | 147th of 193 |
Land borders
Laos shares these with other countries
Drives on the right 149Is landlocked 43Is a member of asean 10Mainly exports manufactured goods 83Is in south-eastern asia 11
Keep going
Country data from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO)
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