Laos

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

 

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

Because of its economic status, Laos spends 0.11 percent of its GDP, or US$20 million on its military. This represents 0.001 percent of total global military expenditure and ranks Laos as the 161st highest military spender. 

The military of Laos, called the Lao People's liberation Army, consists of an Air Force a Navy and Armed Forces. Its main task is to ensure border integrity as well as internal stability.

Military membership

Laos is a member of four international military organizations. These are: 

  • Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons 

  • Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty 

  • International Atomic Energy Agency 

  • Non-Aligned Movement 

Military membership

International wars

Laos has partaken in five international wars since its independence. These are: 

  • First Indochina War 1946-1954 
  • Vietnam War 1955-1975 
  • North Vietnamese invasion of Laos 1958-1959 
  • Third Indochina War 1975-1991 
  • Insurgency in Laos 1975-present 

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

Laos is a member of 14 international political organizations which makes it the 53rd most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations: 

  • Member states of the United Nations 

  • International Labour Organization 

  • Asia Cooperation Dialogue 

  • ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations 

  • Mekong–Ganga Cooperation 

  • Mekong River Commission 

  • Colombo Plan 

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Because Laos only has a one-party system with a high amount of power centralized to its president, it is ranked as the 162nd most democratic state in the world. 

Democracy/Dictatorship

After the communist takeover in 1975, the politics of Laos have been dominated by one single party. At the end of the 20th century, Laos made a change to its constitution which made it possible for its citizens to vote for individual members of the communist national assembly. 

  • International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property 
  • Member states of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie 
  • Interpol 
  • Permanent Court of Arbitration 
  • Global Green Growth Institute 
  • World Organisation for Animal Health 

  • Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia 

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Laos 

With its name deriving either from Lamar or from the abundance of elephants, the people's democratic republic of Laos is known to be the only landlocked state in Southeast Asia. It is believed that its first inhabitants originated from China and have lived a nomadic lifestyle up until the unification of Laos in 1357. At the start of the 18th century, the unified state of Laos had split up into three different kingdoms which all became part of the Kingdom of Thailand at the end of the 18th century. At the end of the 19th century, the three kingdoms were united under the rule of the French Empire which held the territory of Laos until 1940 when Thailand regains control over Laos with the help of the Japanese. At the end of the second world war, the French had regained control over Laos and started granting an increasing amount of autonomy until Laos became fully independence in 1953. Since then, a civil war ensued which has led to a pro-Vietnamese communistic regime which still rules to this day.

 The geography of Laos is mainly made up of mountains which are located in the north and along its eastern border with Vietnam and the low-lying planes along the Mekong River Delta that flows along the border with Thailand. Is also has densely forested areas within its mountain ranges and lightly forested areas along the Mekong River Delta. Other states that Laos borders are Cambodia to the south, Myanmar to the west and China to the north. 

Laos has a total surface area of 237,984 square kilometers or 91,857 square miles which makes it the 82nd largest state in the world being slightly larger than Guiana and slightly smaller than Romania.  

It has a total water surface area of 6030 square kilometers or 2312 square miles.  

 

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Most of its water is derived from the Mekong River with the Nam Ngun basin being the second largest body of water. 

The climate of Laos is considered to be a tropical climate with only a dry and a wet season. The wet season is between June and November while the dry season is from December to May. On average, the temperature is 23.7 degrees Celsius or 74.6 degrees Fahrenheit which makes Laos the 86th warmest state in the world. 

During the wet season, the average temperature goes up to 29.7 degrees Celsius or 85.5 degrees Fahrenheit. 

During the dry season, the average temperature is 19.6 degrees Celsius or 67.3 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Laos is ranked as the 45th state with the highest amount of rainfall with 172 centimetres or 67 inches per year. 

The capital of Laos, Vientiane, is home to approximately 450,000 people. The capital that is closest located to Vientiane is Hanoi Vietnam with a distance of 302 miles or 487 kilometers. The capital that is furthest removed from Vientiane is Lima Peru with a distance of 19,354 kilometers or 12,026 miles. 

The economy of Laos is considered to be a developing economy which is losing its developing status. As a result of the Communist regime, Laos has had a low economic growth until the end of the 20th century when decentralization and private enterprise were allowed by the government. This has led to a steady economic growth which has lifted 20 percent of the population out of poverty. Currently, a large portion of the population is still reliant on subsistence farming as well as for the delivery of raw materials. Most of its exported goods are copper, gold, rubber as well as coffee. Another interesting export product is electricity which is generated through its hydroelectric dams. 

Laos is a member of seven international economic organizations which makes it the 183rd most economically connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations: 

  • Asian Development Bank 
  • Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank 
  • International Monetary Fund 
  • World Bank Group 
  • World Customs Organization 
  • World Trade Organization 
  • Group of 77 

It has a GDP of US$18.1 billion which makes it the 119th highest in the world and represents 0.02 percent of total global GDP. 

Its GDP per surface area is US$76,163 per square kilometer or US$197,323 per square mile making it the 155th highest in the world. 

Its GDP per capita is the 139th highest in the world with 2579 US dollars. 

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power is the 131st highest in the world with US$7931. 

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

Laos is an ethnically diverse state with more than 50 different ethnic groups. The largest of these groups are the Lao that reside within the Plains of the Delta. Other ethnicities are mainly Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai. With a total population of just over 7 million people, Laos is the 151st most populous state in the world. 

Its population density is the 149th highest in the world with 76 people per square mile or 29 people per square kilometer. 

Around 20 percent of the population, or 1.3 million people have migrated to other states. This makes Laos the 52nd state with the highest number of emigrants representing 0.54 percent of total global emigration. Almost 80 percent of all emigrants have migrated to Thailand due to economic reasons. 

Immigration to Laos is represented by 44,000 people, or 0.68 percent of the total population. This is largely due to the fact that immigration has been deterred by Laos officials. Aside from illegal immigration, Laos has also not been an interesting economic destination. 

81.3 percent of the population of Laos is considered to be literate. This makes Laos the 136th most literate state in the world. This low percentage is attributed to several factors. The first is a low amount of funding as well as an education discrepancy between people living in urban and rural areas. Another factor is the high number of ethnic groups that each speak their own regional language. This has led to large parts of these groups not attending any form of education. 

Because of its developing status, Laos does not have sufficient funds to develop its health care system. This has led to one of the least developed healthcare systems in Asia where communicable diseases are the leading cause of death. The average life expectancy is 68.9 years which is the 155th highest in the world. Women reach 70.8 years while men reach 67 years. 

The government of Laos does not provide freedom of religion. Because of its communist ideology, State atheism is also involved in the private spheres of its citizens. This has led to several crackdowns as well as the arrest of religious people. 

Christianity is represented by 1.3 percent of the population which makes Laos the 183rd most Christian state in the world. Catholicism and Protestantism are the two largest denominations within Laos and were introduced during its colonization period. Currently, the government is heavily monitoring the activities of its Christian population. 

Islam is represented by less than 0.01 percent of the population and is mainly of the Sunni denomination. This makes Laos the 189th most Islamic state in the world. As well as the Christian population, the Islamic population has been facing several crackdowns that impede the religious practices of Muslims. 

Buddhism is the largest religion in Laos and is followed by 66 percent of the population. The largest Buddhist denomination is the Theravada denomination which is mainly practiced in Laos. 

Hinduism is represented by 0.03 percent of the population and are mainly descendants of the Hindu Khmer Empire. 

There are only a few Jews living within Laos with the majority and being religious workers or businessmen. 

Other religions are represented by 21 percent of the population. This is mainly represented in the form of folk religion where multiple gods or animals are worshiped with the help of a Shaman. 

Irreligion is represented by 0.6 percent of the population.