GeoRealityMatch

The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to parts of the country. FCDO travel advice, read 29 October 2026.

Calming landscape view of Vang Vieng, Laos, showcasing huts, mountains, and misty scenery.Sculpture park featuring Buddha statues amidst greenery and under a bright blue sky.

Laos

Asia · South-Eastern Asia

High safetyMedium development

Incomes are low.

Safety

57th most peaceful of 161

Global Peace Index
1.846lower is more peacefulHigh safety
#57 of 161
IEP GPI · 2026
Money

Incomes below the median country

GNI per person
$2,150national income per person, US dollarsLow
World Bank · 2025

Income and inflation over time

Income per person rose 302% in current dollars from 2006 to 2025, and rose 129% after inflation.

GDP per person, current US$At purchasing power parityInflation

$0$6.0K$12K$10,383 PPP$2,325Inflation, % a year40%0200620102015202020252006, $579 a person, $2,777 at PPP, inflation 6.5%2007, $697 a person, $3,021 at PPP, inflation 4.7%2008, $886 a person, $3,271 at PPP, inflation 7.6%2009, $935 a person, $3,485 at PPP, inflation 0.1%2010, $1,126 a person, $3,772 at PPP, inflation 6%2011, $1,362 a person, $4,100 at PPP, inflation 7.6%2012, $1,564 a person, $4,781 at PPP, inflation 4.3%2013, $1,813 a person, $5,222 at PPP, inflation 6.4%2014, $1,981 a person, $5,799 at PPP, inflation 4.1%2015, $2,121 a person, $6,086 at PPP, inflation 1.3%2016, $2,303 a person, $6,743 at PPP, inflation 1.6%2017, $2,432 a person, $7,142 at PPP, inflation 0.8%2018, $2,545 a person, $7,487 at PPP, inflation 2%2019, $2,589 a person, $7,743 at PPP, inflation 3.3%2020, $2,584 a person, $7,913 at PPP, inflation 5.1%2021, $2,526 a person, $8,080 at PPP, inflation 3.8%2022, $2,046 a person, $8,765 at PPP, inflation 23%2023, $2,067 a person, $9,299 at PPP, inflation 31.2%2024, $2,124 a person, $9,790 at PPP, inflation 23.1%2025, $2,325 a person, $10,383 at PPP, inflation 7.7%$0$6.0K$12KInflation, % a year40%0200620102015202020252006, $579 a person, $2,777 at PPP, inflation 6.5%2007, $697 a person, $3,021 at PPP, inflation 4.7%2008, $886 a person, $3,271 at PPP, inflation 7.6%2009, $935 a person, $3,485 at PPP, inflation 0.1%2010, $1,126 a person, $3,772 at PPP, inflation 6%2011, $1,362 a person, $4,100 at PPP, inflation 7.6%2012, $1,564 a person, $4,781 at PPP, inflation 4.3%2013, $1,813 a person, $5,222 at PPP, inflation 6.4%2014, $1,981 a person, $5,799 at PPP, inflation 4.1%2015, $2,121 a person, $6,086 at PPP, inflation 1.3%2016, $2,303 a person, $6,743 at PPP, inflation 1.6%2017, $2,432 a person, $7,142 at PPP, inflation 0.8%2018, $2,545 a person, $7,487 at PPP, inflation 2%2019, $2,589 a person, $7,743 at PPP, inflation 3.3%2020, $2,584 a person, $7,913 at PPP, inflation 5.1%2021, $2,526 a person, $8,080 at PPP, inflation 3.8%2022, $2,046 a person, $8,765 at PPP, inflation 23%2023, $2,067 a person, $9,299 at PPP, inflation 31.2%2024, $2,124 a person, $9,790 at PPP, inflation 23.1%2025, $2,325 a person, $10,383 at PPP, inflation 7.7%

World Bank: GDP per person in current US dollars and at PPP, real GDP per person, consumer price inflation. Observed years only.

Health

Below-average life expectancy

Life expectancy
69.2years, at birthLow
#138 of 195
World Bank · 2024
Health coverage
64WHO universal health coverage index, 0 to 100LowWHO · 2023
Air pollution
26.1PM2.5, micrograms per cubic metre, national averageHighWHO · 2023
Work and internet

Fast home internet

Unemployment rate
1.2%share of the labour force without a jobWorld Bank · 2025
Home internet
55 Mbpsmedian download speedFastOokla Speedtest · 2025
English proficiency
461EF English Proficiency Index scoreLowEF EPI · 2025

Internet speeds

Home internet55 MbpsFast
Mobile45 MbpsVery slow

Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median download speed, ranked among the countries Ookla lists.

Sculpture park featuring Buddha statues amidst greenery and under a bright blue sky.
How it changed

Laos's Human Development Index

0.617Medium human development

147th of 193 in UNDP's 2023 ranking, 37th of 43 in Asia.

UNDP builds the index from three dimensions: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and a decent standard of living. They are measured by life expectancy at birth, mean and expected years of schooling, and gross national income per capita. UNDP Human Development Report 2025.

Nearest countries by HDI

  1. #145Nepal0.622
  2. #146Vanuatu0.621
  3. #147Laos0.617
  4. #148Angola0.616
  5. #149Micronesia0.615
Full HDI ranking, all 193 countries

HDI since 1990

Year by year

Human development rose from 0.409 in 1990 to 0.617 in 2023.

0.350.500.650.61719902000201020231990: 0.4091991: 0.4151992: 0.4201993: 0.4261994: 0.4341995: 0.4361996: 0.4491997: 0.4551998: 0.4621999: 0.4692000: 0.4732001: 0.4792002: 0.4882003: 0.4962004: 0.5052005: 0.5142006: 0.5152007: 0.5292008: 0.5372009: 0.5482010: 0.5562011: 0.5672012: 0.5772013: 0.5872014: 0.5972015: 0.6042016: 0.6092017: 0.6122018: 0.6132019: 0.6152020: 0.6162021: 0.6132022: 0.6142023: 0.6170.350.500.6519902000201020231990: 0.4091991: 0.4151992: 0.4201993: 0.4261994: 0.4341995: 0.4361996: 0.4491997: 0.4551998: 0.4621999: 0.4692000: 0.4732001: 0.4792002: 0.4882003: 0.4962004: 0.5052005: 0.5142006: 0.5152007: 0.5292008: 0.5372009: 0.5482010: 0.5562011: 0.5672012: 0.5772013: 0.5872014: 0.5972015: 0.6042016: 0.6092017: 0.6122018: 0.6132019: 0.6152020: 0.6162021: 0.6132022: 0.6142023: 0.617

UNDP Human Development Report, 2025 edition. 34 annual values, none interpolated.

Twenty years here

Year by yearThe world report
Life expectancy at birth
69.2 years2024at birthUp 8.5 years from 60.7 years in 2005
Internet users
66%2024of people onlineUp 64 points from 1% in 2006
Urban population
40%2025of people in towns and citiesUp 12 points from 28% in 2006
Births per woman
2.402024births per womanDown 1.29 from 3.69 in 2005
Renewable share of energy
49%2022of energy usedDown 25 points from 74% in 2004
Access to electricity
97%2024of people with electricityUp 39 points from 57% in 2005
Infant mortality
272024deaths before age one, per 1,000 birthsDown 39 from 66 in 2005
CO2 emissions per person
3.4 t2024of CO2 per person a yearUp 3.1 t from 0.2 t in 2005
Forest area
71%2023of land under forestDown 3 points from 75% in 2004

World Bank, from the first to the last observed year of each indicator; each has its own window.

Our take

Slow-paced Mekong life, one of SE Asia's cheapest, with limited development. The case against is low incomes, short lives and patchy access to essential health services.

About Laos

Laos is a small, landlocked Southeast Asian country with a pace of life that feels deliberately slow, where Buddhist temples, wooden villages on the Mekong River, and jungle-covered mountains create an atmosphere of quiet that is becoming increasingly rare in the region. The culture is gentle and understated, shaped by Theravada Buddhism and a Lao sensibility that prizes harmony and humour. Those seeking frantic activity will find it too quiet, but those who need to decompress will find it perfect.

Practical facts

  • CapitalVientiane
  • LanguagesLao
  • CurrencyLao kip (LAK)
  • Area230,800 km²
  • Plug typeType A/B/C
  • Drives on theright
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Quick answers

What is Laos's Human Development Index?

Laos's Human Development Index is 0.617 for 2023 (UNDP Human Development Report 2025), ranked #147 of 193 by UNDP.

Is Laos safe?

Laos scores 1.85 on the Global Peace Index (lower is more peaceful), ranked #57 of 161 countries by the Institute for Economics & Peace. That measures national-level peace, not street crime; both are covered below.

What is life expectancy in Laos?

Life expectancy at birth in Laos is 69.2 yrs (World Bank), ranked #138 of 195 countries.