← Back to all countries
Laos
A landlocked, mountainous Southeast Asian country along the Mekong River, Laos is one of the world's few remaining communist states. The capital Vientiane is one of Asia's most laid-back capitals, with French colonial architecture and golden Buddhist temples. Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage town, is known for its morning alms-giving ceremony and hundreds of monks.
Major cities: Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Savannakhet, Pakse
2024
7.8M
UN
2050
9.8M
UN
2100
9.3M
UN
~2200
5.0M
GPU
~2500
1.0M
GPU
Population7.8M
Fertility (TFR)2.40
Life expectancy69.2
Median age24.3
Infant mortality35.2 per 1,000
Pop. density33/km²
Urbanization39%
Youth share (0-14)31%
Land area230,800 km²
HDI0.617 (#147)
RegionAsia
Latest available year is shown in parentheses where the source series varies across indicators. Governance metrics use World Bank percentile ranks; battle deaths and military spending are context variables, not direct fertility drivers.
UN WPP 2024 — verified data through 2100
| Year | Population | TFR | Life Exp. | CBR | CDR | Net Migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1.68M | 6.25 | 38.9 | 48.2 | 24.0 | 0K | 2.4% |
| 1955 | 1.89M | 6.26 | 40.3 | 46.2 | 23.2 | 0K | 2.3% |
| 1960 | 2.12M | 6.29 | 41.0 | 44.9 | 22.4 | 0K | 2.2% |
| 1965 | 2.38M | 6.32 | 42.2 | 44.3 | 21.5 | 0K | 2.3% |
| 1970 | 2.67M | 6.31 | 43.8 | 44.3 | 20.4 | 0K | 2.4% |
| 1975 | 3.01M | 6.29 | 46.1 | 44.4 | 18.9 | -14K | 2.6% |
| 1980 | 3.29M | 6.33 | 48.6 | 43.4 | 17.1 | -17K | 2.6% |
| 1985 | 3.74M | 6.33 | 51.6 | 43.5 | 15.1 | -1K | 2.8% |
| 1990 | 4.31M | 6.06 | 54.0 | 42.5 | 13.4 | -3K | 2.9% |
| 1995 | 4.93M | 5.36 | 56.3 | 38.5 | 11.6 | -14K | 2.7% |
| 2000 | 5.43M | 4.43 | 58.3 | 32.9 | 10.0 | -34K | 2.3% |
| 2005 | 5.87M | 3.68 | 60.7 | 28.8 | 8.7 | -24K | 2.0% |
| 2010 | 6.33M | 3.14 | 63.7 | 27.2 | 7.9 | -30K | 1.9% |
| 2015 | 6.80M | 2.80 | 66.7 | 25.0 | 7.5 | -13K | 1.7% |
| 2020 | 7.35M | 2.54 | 68.3 | 22.6 | 6.5 | -10K | 1.6% |
| 2024Now | 7.77M | 2.40 | 69.2 | 20.9 | 6.2 | -10K | 1.5% |
| 2025 | 7.87M | 2.36 | 69.5 | 20.5 | 6.2 | -11K | 1.4% |
| 2030 | 8.36M | 2.21 | 70.6 | 18.5 | 6.2 | -11K | 1.2% |
| 2035 | 8.79M | 2.10 | 71.6 | 17.1 | 6.5 | -12K | 1.1% |
| 2040 | 9.17M | 2.01 | 72.6 | 16.0 | 6.9 | -13K | 0.9% |
| 2045 | 9.49M | 1.94 | 73.4 | 14.9 | 7.3 | -13K | 0.8% |
| 2050 | 9.76M | 1.89 | 74.2 | 13.9 | 7.8 | -13K | 0.6% |
| 2055 | 9.96M | 1.85 | 75.0 | 13.0 | 8.4 | -13K | 0.5% |
| 2060 | 10.1M | 1.82 | 75.7 | 12.3 | 9.1 | -13K | 0.3% |
| 2065 | 10.2M | 1.79 | 76.5 | 11.7 | 9.8 | -13K | 0.2% |
| 2070 | 10.2M | 1.78 | 77.2 | 11.3 | 10.6 | -13K | 0.1% |
| 2075 | 10.1M | 1.76 | 77.9 | 10.8 | 11.2 | -12K | 0.0% |
| 2080 | 10.0M | 1.75 | 78.6 | 10.4 | 11.8 | -11K | -0.1% |
| 2085 | 9.86M | 1.74 | 79.3 | 10.1 | 12.2 | -11K | -0.2% |
| 2090 | 9.69M | 1.73 | 80.0 | 9.8 | 12.6 | -12K | -0.3% |
| 2095 | 9.48M | 1.72 | 80.7 | 9.6 | 13.0 | -11K | -0.3% |
| 2100 | 9.26M | 1.71 | 81.3 | 9.4 | 13.3 | -11K | -0.4% |