Country profile · East Asia & Pacific · LMC
🇱🇦 Lao PDR
Lower middle income. Capital Vientiane. Lower-third GDP/cap (LMC · MID) - 40 series with wider survey lag risk.
- 7.8 million
- Population
- $16.5 billion
- GDP
- $2,124
- GDP / capita
- 69.2 years
- Life expectancy
Lower-third GDP/cap · MID
Lao PDR ranks 140th of 217 by total GDP and 159th for life expectancy - a lower middle income economy in East Asia & Pacific.
- #140
- World GDP rank (of 217)
- $2,124
- GDP per capita
- #159
- Life-expectancy rank
- #102
- Population rank
Lao PDR lands in the lower third of GDP/cap (#172 of 214) - LMC · MID - so national averages need rural/urban caution.
Lao PDR vs all countries by total GDP
Where this economy's World Bank total GDP sits among every country with a positive observation (inventory signal, not a virtue ranking)
$16,502,933,121 140th of 214 higher than 74 of 214 countries
Countries banded by World Bank total GDP (current US$)
Each bar is a $0.001K-wide band; taller bars hold more countries. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source World Bank, GDP (current US$) · 2026-08-14
Lao PDR on the global income map
Lao PDR (LAO) sits in the lower GDP/cap third - plotted with largest peers; bubble area = population.
- Lao PDR: GDP per capita $2,124 (2024), life expectancy 69.2 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- India: GDP per capita $2,695 (2024), life expectancy 72.2 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- China: GDP per capita $13,303 (2024), life expectancy 78.0 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- United States: GDP per capita $84,534 (2024), life expectancy 78.9 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Indonesia: GDP per capita $4,925 (2024), life expectancy 71.3 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Pakistan: GDP per capita $1,479 (2024), life expectancy 67.8 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Nigeria: GDP per capita $1,084 (2024), life expectancy 54.6 years (2024), low income.
- Brazil: GDP per capita $10,311 (2024), life expectancy 76.0 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Bangladesh: GDP per capita $2,593 (2024), life expectancy 74.9 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Russian Federation: GDP per capita $14,889 (2024), life expectancy 73.4 years (2024), high income.
- Ethiopia: GDP per capita $1,134 (2024), life expectancy 67.6 years (2024), low income.
- Mexico: GDP per capita $14,186 (2024), life expectancy 75.3 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Japan: GDP per capita $32,487 (2024), life expectancy 84.0 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Egypt, Arab Rep.: GDP per capita $3,338 (2024), life expectancy 71.8 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Philippines: GDP per capita $3,985 (2024), life expectancy 69.9 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Congo, Dem. Rep.: GDP per capita $693 (2024), life expectancy 62.1 years (2024), low income.
- Viet Nam: GDP per capita $4,717 (2024), life expectancy 74.7 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Iran, Islamic Rep.: GDP per capita $5,190 (2024), life expectancy 77.9 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Turkiye: GDP per capita $15,893 (2024), life expectancy 77.4 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Germany: GDP per capita $56,104 (2024), life expectancy 80.8 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Thailand: GDP per capita $7,387 (2024), life expectancy 76.6 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- United Kingdom: GDP per capita $53,246 (2024), life expectancy 81.4 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Tanzania: GDP per capita $1,193 (2024), life expectancy 67.2 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- France: GDP per capita $46,103 (2024), life expectancy 83.0 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- South Africa: GDP per capita $6,267 (2024), life expectancy 66.3 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Italy: GDP per capita $40,385 (2024), life expectancy 84.0 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Kenya: GDP per capita $2,133 (2024), life expectancy 63.8 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Myanmar: GDP per capita $1,359 (2024), life expectancy 67.1 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Colombia: GDP per capita $7,951 (2024), life expectancy 77.9 years (2024), upper-middle income, OECD member.
- Korea, Rep.: GDP per capita $36,239 (2024), life expectancy 83.6 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Sudan: GDP per capita $985 (2024), life expectancy 66.5 years (2024), low income.
Overview
Lao PDR has a population of 7.8 million, making it the 102nd-most populous country out of 217 tracked in East Asia & Pacific.
Its economy totals $16.5 billion - ranked 140th globally by total GDP. GDP per capita stands at $2,124, placing it in the Lower middle income category.
Life expectancy at birth is 69.2 years (ranked 159th globally), reflecting overall health outcomes as measured by the World Bank.
The capital is Vientiane.
👥 Demographics
💰 Economy
🏥 Health
📚 Education
🌍 Environment
🏗️ Infrastructure
⚖️ Social
🌐 Livability Score
One composite verdict from 4 of 5 World Bank series (life expectancy, under-5 mortality, electricity access, clean-water access, homicide rate), each benchmarked against every country tracking that series. A missing series never silently drags the score down: its weight redistributes across the series Lao PDR does report.
- Life expectancy: 7.9 of 30
- Under-5 mortality: 7.8 of 30
- Access to electricity: 9.9 of 30
- Access to clean water: 4.0 of 30
All indicators for Lao PDR
40 latest observations from World Bank WDI, WHO GHO, and ILO ILOSTAT (vintage through 2026-08-14). Values match the topic cards above; this table is the machine-readable export view analysts expect on a country profile.
| Topic | Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | Population | 7.8 million | 2024 |
| Demographics | Population Ages 0-14 | 30.2% | 2024 |
| Demographics | Population Ages 65+ | 4.7% | 2024 |
| Demographics | Population Density | 33.2/km² | 2023 |
| Demographics | Urban Population | 39.6% | 2024 |
| Economy | Foreign Direct Investment | $988.5 million | 2024 |
| Economy | GDP (Current USD) | $16.5 billion | 2024 |
| Economy | GDP Growth Rate | 4.1% | 2024 |
| Economy | GDP Per Capita (Current USD) | $2,123.979 | 2024 |
| Economy | Inflation (Consumer Prices) | 23.1% | 2024 |
| Economy | Trade (% of GDP) | 75.1% | 2016 |
| Economy | Unemployment Rate | 1.2% | 2024 |
| Health | Health Expenditure (% of GDP) | 1.3% | 2023 |
| Health | Infant Mortality Rate | 27.2 per 1,000 | 2024 |
| Health | Life Expectancy at Birth | 69.2 years | 2024 |
| Health | Maternal Mortality Ratio | 112 | 2023 |
| Health | Physicians (per 1,000 people) | 0.3 per 1,000 | 2022 |
| Health | Stunting Prevalence (under 5) | 32.8 | 2023 |
| Health | Under-5 Mortality Rate | 29.4 per 1,000 | 2024 |
| Education | Education Expenditure (% of GDP) | 1.2% | 2023 |
| Education | Literacy Rate (Adult) | 75.6 | 2023 |
| Education | School Enrollment (Primary) | 93.9 | 2024 |
| Education | School Enrollment (Secondary) | 51.9 | 2024 |
| Education | School Enrollment (Tertiary) | 14.9 | 2023 |
| Education | Youth Literacy Rate | 90.4 | 2023 |
| Environment | CO2 Emissions Per Capita | 3.4 | 2024 |
| Environment | Electric Power Consumption | 1,665 kWh | 2023 |
| Environment | Forest Area | 71.5 | 2023 |
| Environment | Freshwater Withdrawal | 3.9 | 2022 |
| Environment | Renewable Energy Consumption | 49.2% | 2022 |
| Infrastructure | Access to Clean Water | 35.2% | 2024 |
| Infrastructure | Access to Electricity | 96.5% | 2023 |
| Infrastructure | Access to Sanitation | 71.4% | 2024 |
| Infrastructure | Internet Users | 65.6% | 2024 |
| Infrastructure | Mobile Subscriptions | 64.8 | 2023 |
| Social | Female Labor Participation | 61.5 | 2024 |
| Social | GINI Index | 34.7 | 2024 |
| Social | Male Labor Participation | 70.5 | 2024 |
| Social | Net Migration | -10,284 | 2024 |
| Social | Poverty (< $2.15/day) | 7.1% | 2024 |
🫀 Disease Burden
Lao PDR's standout GHO cell is maternal mortality at 112 per 100,000 births (fleet midpoint 47) - that ratio, not the shared ischaemic-heart card, is what this profile is for. Summary metrics use 2021 data; cause-specific cards show their own observation year.
Non-communicable Diseases
Injuries & External Causes
Sources: WHO Global Health Observatory. NCD mortality rate: 2021. Rates are age-standardized per 100,000 population. Premature NCD risk covers cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease.
Compare Lao PDR with near GDP/cap peers
Side-by-side pages for the closest ABS GDP/cap neighbours - not a full-roster dropdown.
Read with Lao PDR
Nearest GDP/cap peers and LE poles for Lao PDR (LMC · MID), replacing the old fixed guide and region clone strip.
LMC MID
Kenya · LMC
Kenya GDP/cap $2,133 is higher by $9 than Lao PDR; LE stamp MID vs MID.
Mauritania · LMC
Mauritania GDP/cap $2,105 is lower by $19 than Lao PDR; LE stamp MID vs MID.
Haiti · LMC
Haiti GDP/cap $2,060 is lower by $64 than Lao PDR; LE stamp MID vs MID.
Solomon Islands · LMC
Solomon Islands GDP/cap $1,934 is lower by $190 than Lao PDR; LE stamp LONG vs MID.
East Asia & Pacific WDI roster
Lao PDR stamps LMC · MID inside East Asia & Pacific - open the region roster after the ABS peers.
GDP/cap leaderboard (#172)
Lao PDR ranks #172 of 214 on NY.GDP.PCAP.CD under the LMC Atlas band.
What the data says about Lao PDR
Lao PDR is a lower-middle-income economy, a tier where a large share of economic activity often sits outside formally measured, monetized markets, so official statistics can understate real living standards more than the headline dollar figures suggest. With a comparatively small population, a single survey round or a change in methodology can shift Lao PDR's reported figures noticeably from one release to the next, independent of any real change on the ground. Where a field on this page reads "N/A," it usually means the relevant agency has not yet published a recent estimate for Lao PDR.
Lao PDR lands in the lower third of GDP/cap (#172 of 214) - LMC · MID - so national averages need rural/urban caution.
Lao PDR's 7.8 million people and $16.5 billion GDP (140th) yield $2,124 per person in the lower GDP/cap third. Life expectancy 69.2 years (159th, MID) and survey lag both matter when reading single-year cells. 40 official points sit in the tables.
Nearest ABS GDP/cap peer: Kenya at $2,133 (Δ $9). Open that profile or the GDP/cap leaderboard before treating any single year as destiny.
What to do with Lao PDR's numbers
Lao PDR is classified LMC with MID. Use that context before comparing any single figure to another country.
- Compare Lao PDR directly against any other country, side by side, on the indicators that matter to you. Compare countries
- See exactly where Lao PDR ranks among all 217 tracked countries on a specific indicator, not just the ones shown here. Indicator rank finder
- Learn the common mistakes people make citing country statistics before you quote a number from this page. Reading country profiles
Figures above are sourced from World Bank, WHO, and ILO (OECD where applicable) as cited below; always verify against the primary source before citing a specific number.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does the data for Lao PDR come from?
Data for Lao PDR is sourced from the World Bank Open Data catalog, WHO Global Health Observatory, and ILO ILOSTAT (for average wages and working hours). These are official, publicly available datasets.
How current is the data for Lao PDR?
Survey lag is the binding caveat on Lao PDR: several WDI/WHO cells trail the LMC headline year. Each table cell prints its own observation year; methodology lists cadence per source.
Can I compare Lao PDR with other countries?
Start with the nearest GDP/cap peer (Kenya, Δ $9), then the GDP/cap leaderboard. Incomplete compare URLs 404 rather than dumping you on a hub.
What does GDP per capita tell us about Lao PDR?
Lao PDR's total output divided by its population, in current US dollars - an approximate read on average economic productivity per person. See our methodology page for the PPP-adjustment caveats.
How does Lao PDR's life expectancy compare to the global average?
69.2 years, ranking 159th of 217 countries tracked - against a global average near 73 years.
Does PlainCountries cover visa or travel information for Lao PDR?
No - PlainCountries covers development and health indicators only. For immigration policy or flight routes, consult the relevant national authority or the ICAO/IATA route registries directly.
Data sources
Lao PDR's figures are rendered directly from World Bank, WHO, and ILO data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-14. Primary sources: World Bank Open Data, WHO Global Health Observatory and ILO ILOSTAT.