Asia > South-Eastern Asia > Laos > Laos People Profile

Laos: Laos People Profile

2015/02/21

People from Laos

Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia bordered by China, Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. The total people in Laos was last recorded at 6.8 million people in 2013 from 2.1 million in 1960, changing 218 % during the last 50 years. People in Laos averaged 4.07 Million from 1960 until 2013, reaching an all time high of 6.77 Million in 2013 and a record low of 2.13 Million in 1960. People in Laos is reported by the Lao Statistics Bureau.

Laos Population

The people is spread very unevenly in Laos, with most people living in the valleys of the Mekong River and tributaries. The capital city of Vientiane prefecture has an estimated people of 783,000.

Laos Demographics

The people of Laos are usually considered by their location as this relates to ethnicity. The lowland people (Lao Loum) account for about 60% of the country's people and are ethnic Lao. This group is descended from migrants who came south from China during the initial millennium. 10% belong to other lowland groups.

The Mon-Khmer tribes, known as Lao Theung, inhabit the central and southern mountain areas. These are the indigenous inhabitants of northern Laos, although there are some Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai minorities. Lao Theung account for 30% of the people.

The Lao Soung, or highland people, include minority cultures such as the Hmong, Yao, Dao, Shan and other peoples who have lived in this isolated region for some time. The mountain tribes of mixed heritage include the Lua and Khmu people, who are indigenous to the region, The Lua people are endangered. The Lao Soung account for 10% of the people.

Laos as well has the youngest people of any Asian country with a median age of 21.6 years.

Laos Today

Life expectancy has grown from 54 in 2007 to 60 for men and 65 for women in 2012 as additional people gain access to clean water and health care. The people of Laos is currently growing at a rate of 2% per year.