Share of population living in cities towns and villages in Laos

Laos: Share of population living in cities towns and villages was 4.51 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
4.51
World rank
189th
of 236 countries
All-time high
6.44
in 2005
All-time low
0
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in cities towns and villages in Laos, 1950–2020

02461950198520201950: 01955: 2.91960: 3.61965: 4.41970: 4.91975: 51980: 4.71985: 4.31990: 4.41995: 4.12000: 4.92005: 6.42010: 6.32015: 5.62020: 4.5

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

Laos recorded 4.51 for share of population living in cities towns and villages in 2020.

The figure is down 28.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in cities towns and villages in Laos peaked at 6.44 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1950.

Laos 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 villages in Laos, year by year

Annual values for Share of population living in cities towns and villages in Laos, 1950 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1950 0 —
1955 2.87 —
1960 3.57 +24.3%
1965 4.44 +24.3%
1970 4.85 +9.3%
1975 4.97 +2.5%
1980 4.67 -6.1%
1985 4.31 -7.7%
1990 4.4 +2.2%
1995 4.11 -6.6%
2000 4.89 +19.0%
2005 6.44 +31.6%
2010 6.32 -1.8%
2015 5.59 -11.6%
2020 4.51 -19.3%

Laos compared with similar countries

  • Laos's 4.51 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 38.18, 12% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Laos's 4.51 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 30.69, 15% of the median. (37 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 1.44 0 2.87 2
1960s 4 3.57 4.44 2
1970s 4.91 4.85 4.97 2
1980s 4.49 4.31 4.67 2
1990s 4.26 4.11 4.4 2
2000s 5.66 4.89 6.44 2
2010s 5.95 5.59 6.32 2
2020s 4.51 4.51 4.51 1

Countries ranked near Laos

  1. 186 Lesotho 12.39 compare
  2. 187 Papua New Guinea 10.95 compare
  3. 188 Malawi 10.82 compare
  4. 190 American Samoa 0
  5. 190 Andorra 0
  6. 190 Anguilla 0
  7. 190 Antigua and Barbuda 0
  8. 190 Aruba 0
  9. 190 Bermuda 0
  10. 190 Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba 0
  11. 190 British Virgin Islands 0
  12. 190 Cayman Islands 0
  13. 190 Cook Islands 0
  14. 190 Dominica 0
  15. 190 Eswatini 0 compare
  16. 190 Falkland Islands 0
  17. 190 Faroe Islands 0
  18. 190 Greenland 0
  19. 190 Grenada 0
  20. 190 Guadeloupe 0 compare
  21. 190 Guam 0
  22. 190 Guernsey 0
  23. 190 Isle of Man 0
  24. 190 Kiribati 0
  25. 190 Liechtenstein 0
  26. 190 Marshall Islands 0
  27. 190 Micronesia (country) 0
  28. 190 Montserrat 0
  29. 190 Nauru 0
  30. 190 Niue 0
  31. 190 Northern Mariana Islands 0
  32. 190 Palau 0
  33. 190 Saint Barthelemy 0
  34. 190 Saint Helena 0
  35. 190 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0
  36. 190 Saint Lucia 0
  37. 190 Saint Martin (French Part) 0
  38. 190 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0
  39. 190 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0
  40. 190 Samoa 0
  41. 190 San Marino 0
  42. 190 Seychelles 0
  43. 190 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 0
  44. 190 Tokelau 0
  45. 190 Tonga 0
  46. 190 Turks and Caicos Islands 0
  47. 190 Tuvalu 0
  48. 190 United States Virgin Islands 0
  49. 190 Vanuatu 0
  50. 190 Wallis and Futuna 0

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for Laos

All data for Laos →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in cities towns and villages in Laos?
Share of population living in cities towns and villages in Laos was 4.51 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in cities towns and villages recorded in Laos?
The highest recorded value was 6.44 in 2005.
What is the lowest share of population living in cities towns and villages recorded in Laos?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1950.
How does Laos rank for share of population living in cities towns and villages?
Laos ranks 189th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in cities towns and villages rising or falling in Laos?
Over the last ten years it is down 28.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Laos data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities towns and villages. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of population living in cities towns and villages in Laos. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 12 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-population-living-in-cities-towns-and-villages/lao-pdr/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in cities towns and villages
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed