Polity · 1976 CE – present
Communist Laos
ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ · ປະເທດລາວ
- Peak recorded area
- 229,246 km²
- 1976 CE
- Rulers on record
- 22
- from 1975 CE
- Data series
- 260
- 1976 CE–2025 CE
Overview
Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is a country in Mainland Southeast Asia, and the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. Laos is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and southwest. Having a population of approximately 8 million, Laos's capital and most populous city is Vientiane.
Lead section from Wikipedia, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article.
Territory
2 dated territorial extents on record from Cliopatria. Areas are measured off the recorded polygons; the line steps because each extent holds until the next one is recorded — nothing is interpolated.
The record
The best-attested series in each category; where several projects publish the same quantity, the one with the most observations is shown. Each row is the most recent value the record holds at or before the last complete year, shown with the year that value belongs to. Some statistical series also publish forward projections — the year column is the honest guide. Nothing on this page is interpolated or estimated by us.
People
6 of 54 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Population113 obs · 1960 CE–2025 CE | 7.9Mpersons2025 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Urbanization Rate66 obs · 1960 CE–2025 CE | 40.31% of total2025 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Life Expectancy65 obs · 1960 CE–2024 CE | 69.23years2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Population Growth65 obs · 1961 CE–2025 CE | 1.32% annual2025 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Age Dependency Ratio49 obs · 1976 CE–2024 CE | 53.53%2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Net Migration49 obs · 1976 CE–2024 CE | -10.3Kcount2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
Economy
6 of 65 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Air Carrier Departures48 obs · 1976 CE–2023 CE | 11Kcount2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Air Passengers Carried48 obs · 1976 CE–2023 CE | 842.3Kcount2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Cereal Production Tonnes48 obs · 1976 CE–2023 CE | 4.3Mmetric tons2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Cereal Yield Kg Per Ha48 obs · 1976 CE–2023 CE | 4,434.9kg per hectare2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Food Production Index47 obs · 1976 CE–2022 CE | 114.84index (2014-2016=100)2022 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| GDP per capita47 obs · 1976 CE–2022 CE | 7,168.192011 int'l $2022 CE · Maddison Project Database 2023 |
Military
6 of 35 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| CINC Score41 obs · 1976 CE–2016 CE | 0.0006CINC (share of world capability)2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Energy Consumption41 obs · 1976 CE–2016 CE | 8Mcoal-ton equivalents2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Iron Steel Production41 obs · 1976 CE–2016 CE | 0tons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Personnel41 obs · 1976 CE–2016 CE | 29Kpersons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Mil Equip Aircraft Transport39 obs · 1976 CE–2014 CE | 15count2014 CE · rDMC Military Capabilities v1.0 |
| Mil Equip Helicopters Utility39 obs · 1976 CE–2014 CE | 12count2014 CE · rDMC Military Capabilities v1.0 |
Territory & resources
6 of 31 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Arable Land %111 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 5.3% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Forest Area %68 obs · 1990 CE–2023 CE | 71.46% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Surface Area63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 236.8Ksq. km2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Co2 Emissions Mt Co2e49 obs · 1976 CE–2024 CE | 26.06mt_co2_equivalent2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators (Climate & Environment) |
| Co2 Emissions per capita49 obs · 1976 CE–2024 CE | 3.35t_co2e_per_capita2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators (Climate & Environment) |
| Methane Emissions Mt Co2e49 obs · 1976 CE–2024 CE | 12.32mt_co2_equivalent2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators (Climate & Environment) |
Governance
6 of 27 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Electoral Democracy Index49 obs · 1976 CE–2024 CE | 0.134index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Liberal Democracy Index49 obs · 1976 CE–2024 CE | 0.102index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Participatory Democracy Index49 obs · 1976 CE–2024 CE | 0.116index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Regime Type49 obs · 1976 CE–2024 CE | 0RoW index (0-3)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Rule Of Law Index49 obs · 1976 CE–2024 CE | 0.278index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Checks And Balances48 obs · 1976 CE–2023 CE | 1count2023 CE · Database of Political Institutions (DPI) 2023 |
Development
6 of 48 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Freedom Of Expression Index49 obs · 1976 CE–2024 CE | 0.038index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Mobile Subscriptions Per 10048 obs · 1976 CE–2023 CE | 64.76per_1002023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Tech Electricity Production48 obs · 1951 CE–1998 CE | 1.3BGWh1998 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Primary Enrollment Gross %47 obs · 1976 CE–2024 CE | 93.85%2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Tech Newspaper Circulation46 obs · 1954 CE–1999 CE | 23.5Kcirculation1999 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Radios46 obs · 1954 CE–1999 CE | 794count1999 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
Rulers
22 on record with dated reigns. Reign years follow the house convention: BCE years are negative.
- Kaysone PhomvihanePrime Minister of Laos1975 CE – 1991 CE
- SouphanouvongPresident of Laos1975 CE – 1991 CE
- Phoumi VongvichitPresident of Laos1986 CE – 1991 CE
- Kaysone PhomvihanePresident of Laos1991 CE – 1992 CE
- Khamtai SiphandonePrime Minister of Laos1991 CE – 1998 CE
- Nouhak PhoumsavanhPresident of Laos1992 CE – 1998 CE
- Sisavath KeobounphanhVice President of Laos1996 CE – 1998 CE
- Khamtai SiphandonePresident of Laos1998 CE – 2006 CE
- Sisavath KeobounphanhPrime Minister of Laos1998 CE – 2001 CE
- Bounnhang VorachithPrime Minister of Laos2001 CE – 2006 CE
- Choummaly SayasoneVice President of Laos2001 CE – 2006 CE
- Bounnhang VorachithVice President of Laos2006 CE – 2016 CE
- Choummaly SayasonePresident of Laos2006 CE – 2016 CE
- Thongsing ThammavongPrime Minister of Laos2010 CE – 2016 CE
- Bounnhang VorachithPresident of Laos2016 CE – 2021 CE
- Phankham ViphavanVice President of Laos2016 CE – 2021 CE
- Thongloun SisoulithHead of Government2016 CE – 2021 CE
- Bounthong ChitmanyVice President of Laos2021 CE –
- Pany YathotouVice President of Laos2021 CE –
- Phankham ViphavanHead of Government2021 CE – 2022 CE
- Thongloun SisoulithPresident of Laos2021 CE –
- Sonexay SiphandoneHead of Government2022 CE –
Language & currency
- Official & national languages
- Lao
- Currency
- Lao kip (LAK)
Memberships
- United NationsUNInternational organisation · member1955 CE –
- ASEANASEANEconomic bloc · member1997 CE –
Sources
Every figure above comes from one of these. Nothing on this page is estimated, interpolated or model-generated.
CHAT (Comin-Hobijn)2009 (FinalCHAT_72909)
Comin, D. & Hobijn, B. (2009). The CHAT Dataset. NBER Working Paper 15319.
NBER research data, freely downloadable
Seshat Global History Databank. Cliopatria: a historical basemap of polity borders (cliopatria.geojson).
Correlates of War NMC v6.0v6.0
Singer, J.D. (1987). National Material Capabilities Data (NMC), v6.0. Correlates of War Project.
Free academic use, citation
Database of Political Institutions (DPI) 2023DPI 2023
Cruz, C., Keefer, P. & Scartascini, C. (2023). Database of Political Institutions 2023. Inter-American Development Bank.
IDB open data, attribution
Maddison Project Database 20232023
Bolt, J. & van Zanden, J.L. (2024). Maddison Project Database 2023. University of Groningen GGDC.
CC BY 4.0
rDMC Military Capabilities v1.0v1.0
Reconstructed Data on Military Capabilities (rDMC), v1.0. Harvard Dataverse.
Academic use, attribution
V-Dem v15v15
Coppedge, M. et al. (2025). V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v15. Varieties of Democracy Project.
Free academic/non-commercial use, attribution
Wikipedia contributors. Article lead sections, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
World Bank World Development Indicators2024 release
World Bank (2024). World Development Indicators. Washington, DC.
CC BY 4.0
World Bank World Development Indicators (Climate & Environment)2024 release
World Bank (2024). World Development Indicators (Climate & Environment series). Washington, DC.
CC BY 4.0
Communist Laos is one of the polities with a sourced record deep enough to publish.