About Laos

Whenever you travel to a new country it is advisable to obtain some information about your destination so that you are better prepared when you arrive. It is for this reason that we have provided a general outline of Laos for you below.

Please be advised that this information is meant for reference purposes only, and all data contained on this page may change without prior warning. For more up to date information about Laos, please consult a travel expert before you depart.

Official Name: Lao Peoples Democratic Republic or Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, simply known as Laos. The official name of Laos came into being when the communist party took control of the country in 1975.

Capital: The Laotian capital is the city of Vientiane, which is also the country’s largest urban center. Vientiane is located close to the Laos border with Thailand.

Location: Laos is located in South East Asia. The country is landlocked and has no access to the ocean. Laos borders Burma, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and China.

Size: With a total area of approximately 236,800 square kilometers, Laos is the 83rd largest country in the world. In comparative terms, Laos is slightly larger than the US state of Utah.

Climate: Laos has a tropical climate, befitting the country’s geographical location in the tropics. There are two main seasons, the wet season runs from May to November while the dry season occurs from December to April.

Population: Approximately 6,521,998 people live in Laos. This makes the country the 103rd most populated nation on earth ahead of Israel and behind Paraguay. 

Life expectancy at birth: The average life expectancy for a citizen of Laos is 55.89 years from birth. This ranks Laos as 183 out of 222 countries around the world for life expectancy. The reason for the low life expectancy in Laos can mainly be attributed to poor healthcare services and the extremely hard lifestyles of the local populace.

Prevalence of HIV/AIDS: Approximately 0.1% of the Laotian population is living with HIV/Aids. In real terms this is equivalent to roughly 5,500 people. According to the latest statistics only 200 people die from HIV/Aids every year. In terms of number of people living with the disease, Laos has one of the lowest aids rates in the world ranking 131 out of 163 countries where data is available.

Major illnesses: There are a number of severe health risks in Laos. Possible disease threats include Malaria, Dengue Fever, Hepatitis, Typhoid, Polio, Diphtheria, Tuberculosis, and Japanese Encephalitis.

Ethnic Groups: While Laos may look like a fairly homogenous country there are a number of ethnic divisions throughout the nation. The main ethnic groups are Lao Lourn, consisting of 68% of the population, Lao Theung (22%), Lao Soung (9%) and ethnic Vietnamese or Chinese making up the remaining 1% of the total population.

Languages: The official language of the country is Lao. English and French are spoken in the country but are typically only used in major urban areas or for business. In the countryside there are a number of varied dialects that will be spoken, these will typically depend on the region that you are visiting and change accordingly.

Religion: There is no official state religion in Laos; however 65% of the population is Buddhist. 32% of the population is animist, 1.3% are Christian, and 0.8% of the population observe no religion.

Government: Laos is a communist state. Communism is a form of government that supports the ideal of communal ownership for all means of production; production in this sense being defined as industry or business. However this pure form of Communism is being phased out in Laos as the country opens itself up to economic reform and foreign investment. 

Head of State: The Laotian Head of State is President Lt. General Choummaly Sayasone.

Head of Government: The Laotian Head of Government is Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh.

Military: Laos is one of the worlds poorest countries and as such the Laotian military is extremely small and under funded. Although Laos boasts an army and an air force, these services only receive 0.5% of the nation’s total GDP. The age for compulsory military service is 15 and conscripts must serve a minimum of 18 months.

Economy: Despite the official communist stance of the Laotian government the country began to decentralize and privatize its economy in 1986, almost 11 years after the communist party originally came to power. This decentralization lead to an extremely high growth rate of almost 6% a year, with the only economic slowdowns occurring during the Asian financial crisis of 1997. As it happens, 1997 was also the year the Laos was included into ASEAN (the Association of South East Asian Nations), this helped the country to form strong trade ties in the region and break away from its dependence of the Vietnamese economy. 

Despite all this, however, Laos remains an extremely poor nation with very little infrastructure outside of the major cities. Agriculture accounts for 80% of all employment and many of the nations citizens live in the countryside, predominately as rice farmers. However, with aid packages from the IMF, UN, and USA, Laos is taking the necessary measures to fast track development. This has seen increased levels of foreign private investment and a hope that the country, with its abundant natural resources, could turn into the next Asian tiger economy.

GDP: Laos has a purchasing power parity of US$ 12.61 billion and an actual GDP of US$ 3.061 Billion. Laos has the 129th highest grossing economy in the world.

For more information about Laos expat insurance, the international health insurance plans that we can offer there, or to receive a free quote, please contact one of our expert advisers today.

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