Urban population in Laos
Laos: Urban population was 3.17 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Laos, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Laos is 3.17 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.3% on the previous year and up 40.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Laos peaked at 3.17 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 166,499, in 1960.
That places Laos 122nd out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 196,510 | 166,499 | 238,129 | 10 |
| 1970s | 323,446 | 253,117 | 391,248 | 10 |
| 1980s | 508,829 | 407,771 | 626,167 | 10 |
| 1990s | 853,887 | 657,297 | 1.12 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.56 million | 1.20 million | 1.88 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.25 million | 1.94 million | 2.60 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.93 million | 2.69 million | 3.17 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Laos
More climate change data for Laos
- Population growth 1.3% (2025)
- Population, total 7.87 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.2% (2025)
- Urban population 40.3% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 7.35 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 3.9% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 18.8% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 18.8% (2025)
- CPIA public sector management and institutions cluster average 2.8 1=low to 6=high (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Laos?
- Urban population in Laos was 3.17 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 3.17 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 166,499 in 1960.
- How does Laos rank for urban population?
- Laos ranks 122nd out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is up 40.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.