Share of population living in urban areas vs. GDP per capita in Laos

Laos: Share of population living in urban areas vs. GDP per capita was 40.3% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
40.3%
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
185th
of 236 countries
All-time high
40.3%
in 2025
All-time low
7.5%
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025

Share of population living in urban areas vs. GDP per capita in Laos, 1950–2025

10203040195019872025

Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita in Laos is 40.3%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and up 21.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita in Laos peaked at 40.3% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 7.5%, in 1950.

Laos ranks 185th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 7.7% 7.5% 7.8% 10
1960s 8.3% 7.8% 9.1% 10
1970s 10.9% 9.5% 12.1% 10
1980s 13.7% 12.4% 14.9% 10
1990s 17.5% 15.2% 21.0% 10
2000s 26.6% 22.2% 30.0% 10
2010s 33.1% 30.6% 35.9% 10
2020s 38.5% 36.6% 40.3% 6

Countries ranked near Laos

  1. 182 Belize 41.6% compare
  2. 183 Cambodia 41.1% compare
  3. 184 Zimbabwe 40.5% compare
  4. 186 Faroe Islands 39.6% compare
  5. 187 Pakistan 39.5% compare
  6. 188 Mauritius 39.0% compare

See the full ranking of 237 places →

More population data for Laos

All data for Laos →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita in Laos?
Share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita in Laos was 40.3% in 2025, according to United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita recorded in Laos?
The highest recorded value was 40.3% in 2025.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita recorded in Laos?
The lowest recorded value was 7.5% in 1950.
How does Laos rank for share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita?
Laos ranks 185th out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Laos?
Over the last ten years it is up 21.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Laos data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas vs. GDP per capita
Unit
%
Source
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
237 places, 18,012 data points, 1950–2025
Last refreshed

Share of the population living in urban areas, based on each country's national definition.