Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Lao People's Democratic Republic
Lao People's Democratic Republic: Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas was 4.5% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
4.5%
World rank
189th
of 236 countries
All-time high
6.4%
in 2005
All-time low
0.0%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020
Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Lao People's Democratic Republic, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Lao People's Democratic Republic recorded 4.5% for share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in 2020.
The figure is down 28.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Lao People's Democratic Republic peaked at 6.4% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1950.
Lao People's Democratic Republic ranks 189th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Lao People's Democratic Republic, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0.0% | — |
| 1955 | 2.9% | — |
| 1960 | 3.6% | +24.3% |
| 1965 | 4.4% | +24.3% |
| 1970 | 4.9% | +9.3% |
| 1975 | 5.0% | +2.5% |
| 1980 | 4.7% | -6.1% |
| 1985 | 4.3% | -7.7% |
| 1990 | 4.4% | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 4.1% | -6.6% |
| 2000 | 4.9% | +19.0% |
| 2005 | 6.4% | +31.6% |
| 2010 | 6.3% | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 5.6% | -11.6% |
| 2020 | 4.5% | -19.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.4% | 0.0% | 2.9% | 2 |
| 1960s | 4.0% | 3.6% | 4.4% | 2 |
| 1970s | 4.9% | 4.9% | 5.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 4.5% | 4.3% | 4.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 4.3% | 4.1% | 4.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 5.7% | 4.9% | 6.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 6.0% | 5.6% | 6.3% | 2 |
| 2020s | 4.5% | 4.5% | 4.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Lao People's Democratic Republic
- 186 Lesotho 12.4% compare
- 187 Papua New Guinea 11.0% compare
- 188 Malawi 10.8% compare
- 190 American Samoa 0.0%
- 190 Andorra 0.0%
- 190 Anguilla 0.0%
- 190 Antigua and Barbuda 0.0%
- 190 Aruba 0.0%
- 190 Bermuda 0.0%
- 190 Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba 0.0%
- 190 British Virgin Islands 0.0%
- 190 Cayman Islands 0.0%
- 190 Cook Islands 0.0%
- 190 Dominica 0.0%
- 190 Eswatini 0.0% compare
- 190 Falkland Islands, Malvinas 0.0%
- 190 Faroe Islands 0.0%
- 190 Greenland 0.0%
- 190 Grenada 0.0%
- 190 Guadeloupe 0.0% compare
- 190 Guam 0.0%
- 190 Guernsey 0.0%
- 190 Isle of Man 0.0%
- 190 Kiribati 0.0%
- 190 Liechtenstein 0.0%
- 190 Marshall Islands 0.0%
- 190 Micronesia, Federated States of 0.0%
- 190 Montserrat 0.0%
- 190 Naoero 0.0%
- 190 Niue 0.0%
- 190 Northern Mariana Islands 0.0%
- 190 Palau 0.0%
- 190 Saint Barthelemy 0.0%
- 190 Saint Helena 0.0%
- 190 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0.0%
- 190 Saint Lucia 0.0%
- 190 Saint Martin (French Part) 0.0%
- 190 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0.0%
- 190 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0.0%
- 190 Samoa 0.0%
- 190 San Marino 0.0%
- 190 Seychelles 0.0%
- 190 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 0.0%
- 190 Tokelau 0.0%
- 190 Tonga 0.0%
- 190 Turks and Caicos Islands 0.0%
- 190 Tuvalu 0.0%
- 190 United States Virgin Islands 0.0%
- 190 Vanuatu 0.0%
- 190 Wallis and Futuna 0.0%
More population data for Lao People's Democratic Republic
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.5042 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -2.23 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.5042 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.3849 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 9,776 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 1.13 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.9341 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.5% (2100)
- Population density 40.11 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 438,726 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
- Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Lao People's Democratic Republic was 4.5% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
- The highest recorded value was 6.4% in 2005.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1950.
- How does Lao People's Democratic Republic rank for share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Lao People's Democratic Republic ranks 189th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lao People's Democratic Republic data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in cities. Cities are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.