# Laos — key facts

Source: GeoReality (https://geo-reality.com) — verified country data, regenerated 2026-09-01.
When citing a figure, attribute both GeoReality and the primary source in the third column.

- Capital: Vientiane
- Region: Asia · South-Eastern Asia
- Full profile: https://geo-reality.com/country/la
- Methodology and source URLs: https://geo-reality.com/data-sources

| Fact | Value | Primary source |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 7,873,046 | World Bank SP.POP.TOTL |
| Area | 230,800 km² | World Bank AG.LND.TOTL.K2 |
| GDP per capita (nominal) | 2,325 USD | World Bank NY.GDP.PCAP.CD |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | 10,383 intl $ | World Bank NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD |
| GDP (total) | 18.3 bn USD | World Bank NY.GDP.MKTP.CD |
| Human Development Index | 0.62 | UNDP Human Development Report (2022) |
| Global Peace Index (lower = more peaceful) | 1.85 | IEP Global Peace Index (2024) |
| Life satisfaction (Cantril ladder, 0-10) | 5.52 | World Happiness Report — Data for Figure 2.1, life evaluation (Cantril ladder) (2026) |
| Life expectancy at birth | 69.2 years | World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN |
| Fertility rate | 2.4 births/woman | World Bank SP.DYN.TFRT.IN |
| Unemployment | 1.2% | World Bank SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS |
| Inflation (CPI, annual) | 7.7% | World Bank FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG |
| Gini income inequality | 34.7 | World Bank SI.POV.GINI |
| Median fixed broadband | 54.78 Mbps | Ookla Speedtest Global Index (2025) |
| Internet users | 65.6% of population | World Bank IT.NET.USER.ZS |
| Urban population | 40.3% | World Bank SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS |
| Renewable share of energy | 49.2% | World Bank EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS |
| Forest area | 71.5% of land | World Bank AG.LND.FRST.ZS |
| CO2 emissions per capita | 3.35 t/yr | World Bank EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5 |
| Corporate tax rate | 35% | Wikipedia — List of countries by tax rates (corporate column, headline statutory rate) (2024) |

## Two decades of change

| Indicator | First → last observed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 60.69 (2005) → 69.22 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN |
| Internet users | 1.17 (2006) → 65.59 (2024) | World Bank IT.NET.USER.ZS |
| Urban population | 28.04 (2006) → 40.31 (2025) | World Bank SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS |
| Births per woman | 3.69 (2005) → 2.4 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.TFRT.IN |
| Renewable share of energy | 74 (2004) → 49.2 (2022) | World Bank EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS |
| Access to electricity | 57.2 (2005) → 96.5 (2024) | World Bank EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS |
| Infant mortality | 66.2 (2005) → 27.2 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.IMRT.IN |
| CO2 emissions per person | 0.22 (2005) → 3.35 (2024) | World Bank EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5 |
| Forest area | 74.66 (2004) → 71.46 (2023) | World Bank AG.LND.FRST.ZS |

Context across all countries: https://geo-reality.com/changed

## Human Development Index, 1990–2022

Source: UNDP Human Development Report, composite indices complete time series (2023-24). Annual values as published, none interpolated.

| Year | HDI |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.408 |
| 1991 | 0.414 |
| 1992 | 0.420 |
| 1993 | 0.426 |
| 1994 | 0.434 |
| 1995 | 0.437 |
| 1996 | 0.449 |
| 1997 | 0.455 |
| 1998 | 0.462 |
| 1999 | 0.469 |
| 2000 | 0.473 |
| 2001 | 0.480 |
| 2002 | 0.489 |
| 2003 | 0.498 |
| 2004 | 0.506 |
| 2005 | 0.516 |
| 2006 | 0.517 |
| 2007 | 0.531 |
| 2008 | 0.539 |
| 2009 | 0.549 |
| 2010 | 0.557 |
| 2011 | 0.569 |
| 2012 | 0.578 |
| 2013 | 0.587 |
| 2014 | 0.597 |
| 2015 | 0.604 |
| 2016 | 0.610 |
| 2017 | 0.612 |
| 2018 | 0.613 |
| 2019 | 0.617 |
| 2020 | 0.616 |
| 2021 | 0.615 |
| 2022 | 0.620 |

Chart: https://geo-reality.com/country/la#hdi-history

Vintages marked "varies" are the most recent value the source publishes per country; the profile page states the exact year per figure.