Population in Laos
Laos: Population was 7.67 million people in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
7.67 million people
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
103rd
of 238 countries
All-time high
7.67 million people
in 2023
All-time low
242,857 people
in 1000
Years of data
241
1000–2023
Population in Laos, 1000–2023
Source: HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Laos recorded 7.67 million people for population in 2023. That is the highest value across all 241 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 15.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in Laos peaked at 7.67 million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 242,857 people, in 1000.
That places Laos 103rd out of 238 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 242,857 people | 242,857 people | 242,857 people | 1 |
| 1100s | 274,285 people | 274,285 people | 274,285 people | 1 |
| 1200s | 305,714 people | 305,714 people | 305,714 people | 1 |
| 1300s | 337,142 people | 337,142 people | 337,142 people | 1 |
| 1400s | 368,571 people | 368,571 people | 368,571 people | 1 |
| 1500s | 400,000 people | 400,000 people | 400,000 people | 1 |
| 1600s | 500,000 people | 500,000 people | 500,000 people | 1 |
| 1700s | 600,000 people | 600,000 people | 600,000 people | 1 |
| 1710s | 610,000 people | 610,000 people | 610,000 people | 1 |
| 1720s | 620,000 people | 620,000 people | 620,000 people | 1 |
| 1730s | 630,000 people | 630,000 people | 630,000 people | 1 |
| 1740s | 640,000 people | 640,000 people | 640,000 people | 1 |
| 1750s | 650,000 people | 650,000 people | 650,000 people | 1 |
| 1760s | 660,000 people | 660,000 people | 660,000 people | 1 |
| 1770s | 670,000 people | 670,000 people | 670,000 people | 1 |
| 1780s | 680,000 people | 680,000 people | 680,000 people | 1 |
| 1790s | 690,000 people | 690,000 people | 690,000 people | 1 |
| 1800s | 470,000 people | 470,000 people | 470,000 people | 10 |
| 1810s | 470,090 people | 470,000 people | 470,895 people | 10 |
| 1820s | 491,063 people | 472,695 people | 511,905 people | 10 |
| 1830s | 539,503 people | 516,781 people | 562,807 people | 10 |
| 1840s | 593,149 people | 568,168 people | 618,770 people | 10 |
| 1850s | 648,315 people | 624,664 people | 672,476 people | 10 |
| 1860s | 703,822 people | 678,004 people | 731,796 people | 10 |
| 1870s | 813,442 people | 741,854 people | 893,762 people | 10 |
| 1880s | 1.01 million people | 913,237 people | 1.11 million people | 10 |
| 1890s | 1.25 million people | 1.13 million people | 1.37 million people | 10 |
| 1900s | 1.34 million people | 1.29 million people | 1.38 million people | 10 |
| 1910s | 1.17 million people | 1.07 million people | 1.27 million people | 10 |
| 1920s | 961,814 people | 884,787 people | 1.05 million people | 10 |
| 1930s | 893,751 people | 873,816 people | 929,604 people | 10 |
| 1940s | 1.25 million people | 957,965 people | 1.61 million people | 10 |
| 1950s | 1.87 million people | 1.68 million people | 2.07 million people | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.36 million people | 2.12 million people | 2.61 million people | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.96 million people | 2.67 million people | 3.23 million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.71 million people | 3.29 million people | 4.19 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.85 million people | 4.31 million people | 5.34 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.83 million people | 5.43 million people | 6.24 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.77 million people | 6.33 million people | 7.24 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.51 million people | 7.35 million people | 7.67 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Laos
- 100 Switzerland 8.87 million people compare
- 101 Sierra Leone 8.46 million people compare
- 102 Togo 8.22 million people compare
- 104 Hong Kong 7.44 million people compare
- 105 Turkmenistan 7.36 million people compare
- 106 Libya 7.31 million people compare
More population data for Laos
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.5% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 438,726 people (2100)
- Population density 40.11 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.5% (2100)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 2.4 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 80 people (1987)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 2.4 births per woman (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 2.4 births per woman (2024)
- Natural population growth rate 1.5% (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 2.42 live births per woman (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in Laos?
- Population in Laos was 7.67 million people in 2023, according to HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 7.67 million people in 2023.
- What is the lowest population recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 242,857 people in 1000.
- How does Laos rank for population?
- Laos ranks 103rd out of 238 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 241 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Population by country, available from 10,000 BCE to 2023, based on data and estimates from different sources.