Laos population pyramid 2026
7,974,018 people in 2026 (projected). Laos kept fertility above six until 1990, then halved it within two decades; its pyramid is turning from a sharp triangle into a straight-sided column.
- 2026 population
- 8Mrank 103 of 237
- Median age
- 25.3 yearsoldest rank 167
- Fertility rate
- 2.33births per woman · above replacement
- Structure
- Transitional5.0% age 65+
Laos population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
Hover over or tap a bar to see exact values.
Download this population pyramid
Use the publication-ready SVG, create a high-resolution PNG, or download the complete age-by-sex dataset.
The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.
Laos age distribution in 2026
Children under 15 account for 29.5% of the population, while 5.0% are aged 65 or older. The remaining 65.6% are in the conventional working-age range of 15–64. On these shares, the site classifies Laos’s age structure as transitional; the guide to population pyramid types explains what that shape implies.
The total age dependency ratio is 52.5: about 53 people under 15 or 65+ for every 100 people aged 15–64 (45.0 children and 7.6 older people). This is an age-balance indicator, not a literal count of economic dependants per worker.
What shapes Laos’s population pyramid
A late start and a steep fall
For four decades after 1950 the total fertility rate in Laos barely moved, staying between about 6.1 and 6.3 children per woman until 1990. The decline, when it came, was rapid: about 4.4 by 2000, 3.1 by 2010 and 2.3 in 2026. Mortality improved over the same period, with infant mortality falling from about 207 per 1,000 live births in 1950 to about 32 in 2023 and life expectancy rising from under 40 to 69.
The 2000 pyramid is a textbook triangle, its widest band at ages 0–4. By 2026 the shape has changed markedly at the bottom: the 0–4, 5–9 and 10–14 bands are almost equal, and the widest is 5–9. The point at which the base stops widening is one of the clearest markers of the transition described in the guide to types of population pyramids.
Momentum and migration
Although fertility is close to replacement, Laos still has more than three births for every death. The large cohorts born in the 1990s and 2000s, now aged roughly 15–34, are in their childbearing years, and the average age of mothers at birth, about 26, is relatively young. This population momentum carries growth forward for decades: under the medium scenario the population peaks only in 2068, at about 10.2 million, and deaths first exceed births in 2074.
Migration has also shaped the pyramid. Many people left after the change of government in 1975, and in recent decades large numbers of young Lao workers have sought jobs in neighbouring Thailand. The UN estimates net outflows of about 335,000 between 1950 and 1999 and about 550,000 between 2000 and 2023, a continuing outflow that offsets part of the natural increase.
Reading the early estimates with care
The 1950 pyramid shows almost no women above age 80 while showing about 2,000 men, an implausible pattern that reflects the scarcity of reliable data for the period rather than a real feature. Estimates for Laos before the first national census in 1985 rest on limited information, so the early pyramids are best read for their broad shape.
The 2026 age structure is closest to those of Bolivia, Honduras and Nicaragua. By 2050, with the median age about 33, the lower half of the Lao pyramid is almost rectangular.
What to notice across the years
Distinctive cohorts and turning points
No five-year band under age 80 is more than 10% larger or smaller than both of its neighbours, so Laos’s 2026 pyramid has a comparatively smooth profile without sharp bulges or notches.
Births outnumber deaths in 2026; the medium scenario projects deaths to exceed births from 2074. People aged 65 and older are projected to outnumber children under 15 by 2075.
Births, deaths, and migration
A pyramid changes in only three ways: births add to the base, deaths remove people at every age, and migration adds or removes people mainly in young adulthood. In 2026, Laos is projected to record 160,077 births (about 438 births a day) and 49,165 deaths, a natural increase of 110,912. Net migration adds −11,125 people, ranking #166 in the net migration rate ranking.
Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates 4,086,564 births, 1,202,827 deaths, and cumulative net migration of −552,170. Over that period the balance of births and deaths moved the total more than migration did. See how migration shapes a pyramid and birth rate versus fertility rate. The medium scenario assumes net migration of −305,781 between 2026 and 2050.
Annual values 1950–2100; dashed lines after 2023 are the UN medium projection. The trend table below lists the values by decade.
Life expectancy and mortality
- Life expectancy, women
- 72.0 years39.9 in 1950
- Life expectancy, men
- 67.5 years38.0 in 1950
- Further years at 65
- 13.9 yearsboth sexes
- Infant mortality
- 27.8per 1,000 births · 207 in 1950
- Under-five mortality
- 34.2per 1,000 births
- Mother’s mean age at birth
- 26.1 yearssex ratio at birth 105.3
Women in Laos are projected to live 4.5 years longer than men, which is why the female side of the pyramid widens relative to the other at older ages (see the life expectancy gap ranking). Infant mortality has fallen from 207 to 27.8 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1950, ranking #42 of 237 in the infant mortality ranking (highest first). A mean age at childbearing of 26.1 years sets the spacing between generations, and so how far apart echo cohorts sit in the pyramid.
Median age, fertility rate, and global ranks for Laos
The median age of 25.3 years splits the population into two equal halves. A total fertility rate of 2.33 births per woman is above the replacement level of roughly 2.1, and life expectancy at birth is 69.7 years.
These ranks compare all 237 countries and areas in this dataset using the same 2026 UN medium projection. Ranks use the stored source precision, so displayed rounding can make adjacent values look identical; small differences should not be overinterpreted.
| Indicator | 2026 value | Global rank | Ranking direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 7,974,018 | #103 | Largest first |
| Median age | 25.3 years | #167 | Oldest first |
| Fertility rate | 2.33 | #86 | Highest first |
| Annual growth | +1.3% | #81 | Fastest first |
| Life expectancy | 69.7 years | #177 | Highest first |
| Population aged 65+ | 5.0% | #171 | Highest share first |
Largest age groups in Laos
The five largest cohorts identify where the 2026 population is concentrated. They can reflect past birth patterns, survival, and migration; the chart alone does not establish which cause dominates.
| Rank | Age group | Population | Share of total | Male / female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5–9 | 794,447 | 10.0% | 405.4K / 389K |
| 2 | 0–4 | 783,603 | 9.8% | 400.4K / 383.2K |
| 3 | 10–14 | 772,909 | 9.7% | 393.5K / 379.4K |
| 4 | 15–19 | 744,168 | 9.3% | 377.7K / 366.5K |
| 5 | 20–24 | 708,816 | 8.9% | 359K / 349.9K |
Sex ratio and the balance by age
In the 2026 projection, Laos has 4,005,594 males and 3,968,424 females. That is 100.9 males per 100 females, ranking #65 when the dataset is ordered from the highest male-to-female ratio to the lowest.
Males account for 50.2% of the population and females for 49.8%. There are 37,170 more males than females overall. Among people aged 65 and older, the ratio is 83.6 males per 100 females.
The overall balance can conceal large differences by age; how sex ratios change with age explains the usual pattern. The ratio reflects the male/female categories in the UN source and is not a measure of gender identity. Compare all profiles in the sex-ratio ranking.
At birth, 105.3 boys are projected to be born for every 100 girls in 2026, close to the biological norm of about 105 (compare the sex ratio at birth ranking). The ratio at birth sets the balance at the base of the pyramid; how it changes with age then depends on survival and migration.
How Laos has changed since 1950
The population has increased from 1,684,550 in 1950 to 7,974,018 in 2026, a change of 373%. Over the same span, median age moved from 18.8 to 25.3 years.
The under-15 share changed from 40.4% to 29.5%, while the share aged 65 and older changed from 2.1% to 5.0%. These shifts show why total population growth and age-structure change need to be read separately.
How the population could change by 2050
Under the UN medium scenario, Laos’s population is projected to grow by about 22%, reaching 9,757,286 in 2050. The median age changes from 25.3 to 33.0 years.
The 65+ share is projected to rise by 4.9 percentage points to 9.9%. At the same time, the under-15 share is projected at 21.4%. How UN projections work explains the assumptions behind these figures.
The annual UN series reaches its highest projected population of 10,166,800 in 2068. That turning point depends on the medium scenario and may move in later revisions. Compare timing across countries in the population peak ranking.
Population trend: 1950–2100
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; dashed line shows the UN medium projection.
| Year | Population | Median age | Fertility | Life exp. | Births | Deaths | Net migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1,684,550 | 18.8 | 6.25 | 38.9 | 81,154 | 40,403 | 0 | +2.4% |
| 1960 | 2,121,514 | 18.2 | 6.29 | 41.0 | 95,149 | 47,574 | 0 | +2.2% |
| 1970 | 2,669,702 | 17.7 | 6.31 | 43.8 | 118,388 | 54,490 | 0 | +2.4% |
| 1980 | 3,292,574 | 16.8 | 6.33 | 48.6 | 142,853 | 56,305 | −17,339 | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 4,311,955 | 16.8 | 6.06 | 54.0 | 183,213 | 57,912 | −3,100 | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 5,431,212 | 17.0 | 4.43 | 58.3 | 178,694 | 54,491 | −33,965 | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 6,334,194 | 19.9 | 3.14 | 63.7 | 172,255 | 49,740 | −30,046 | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 7,346,532 | 23.4 | 2.54 | 68.3 | 166,166 | 47,553 | −10,305 | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 7,664,992 | 24.3 | 2.42 | 69.0 | 163,043 | 47,682 | −10,003 | +1.4% |
| 2024* | 7,769,819 | 24.6 | 2.40 | 69.2 | 162,644 | 48,073 | −10,284 | +1.3% |
| 2026* | 7,974,018 | 25.3 | 2.33 | 69.7 | 160,077 | 49,165 | −11,125 | +1.3% |
| 2030* | 8,357,023 | 26.6 | 2.21 | 70.6 | 154,942 | 52,165 | −11,046 | +1.1% |
| 2040* | 9,169,002 | 29.8 | 2.01 | 72.6 | 146,455 | 63,092 | −13,444 | +0.8% |
| 2050* | 9,757,286 | 33.0 | 1.89 | 74.2 | 135,503 | 76,268 | −12,657 | +0.5% |
| 2060* | 10,090,954 | 36.3 | 1.82 | 75.7 | 124,305 | 91,843 | −12,554 | +0.2% |
| 2070* | 10,160,170 | 39.1 | 1.78 | 77.2 | 114,427 | 107,530 | −13,053 | -0.1% |
| 2080* | 10,003,388 | 41.3 | 1.75 | 78.6 | 104,491 | 117,838 | −10,973 | -0.2% |
| 2090* | 9,685,342 | 43.3 | 1.73 | 80.0 | 95,281 | 122,031 | −11,648 | -0.4% |
| 2100* | 9,256,278 | 45.0 | 1.71 | 81.3 | 86,725 | 123,401 | −10,575 | -0.5% |
* 2024 onward is the UN medium projection. Fertility is births per woman; life expectancy is years at birth; births, deaths, and net migration are counts for that calendar year.
Download every year, 1950–2100 (CSV)
2026 population by age and sex
The table provides the counts behind the chart. Age groups are five-year bands, with everyone aged 100 or older combined.
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 400,440 | 383,163 | 783,603 | 9.8% |
| 5–9 | 405,432 | 389,015 | 794,447 | 10.0% |
| 10–14 | 393,541 | 379,368 | 772,909 | 9.7% |
| 15–19 | 377,664 | 366,504 | 744,168 | 9.3% |
| 20–24 | 358,955 | 349,861 | 708,816 | 8.9% |
| 25–29 | 355,805 | 347,880 | 703,685 | 8.8% |
| 30–34 | 331,562 | 328,499 | 660,061 | 8.3% |
| 35–39 | 306,977 | 302,254 | 609,231 | 7.6% |
| 40–44 | 262,265 | 256,342 | 518,607 | 6.5% |
| 45–49 | 211,619 | 208,260 | 419,879 | 5.3% |
| 50–54 | 171,971 | 173,350 | 345,321 | 4.3% |
| 55–59 | 138,714 | 146,131 | 284,845 | 3.6% |
| 60–64 | 110,552 | 122,460 | 233,012 | 2.9% |
| 65–69 | 81,240 | 91,872 | 173,112 | 2.2% |
| 70–74 | 51,976 | 60,111 | 112,087 | 1.4% |
| 75–79 | 28,166 | 35,533 | 63,699 | 0.8% |
| 80–84 | 12,825 | 18,304 | 31,129 | 0.4% |
| 85–89 | 4,699 | 7,267 | 11,966 | 0.2% |
| 90–94 | 1,052 | 1,921 | 2,973 | 0.0% |
| 95–99 | 129 | 302 | 431 | 0.0% |
| 100+ | 8 | 28 | 36 | 0.0% |
Countries with the most similar age structure
These profiles have the 2026 age distributions closest to Laos’s, measured by the total difference in the share of the population in each five-year band. Similar shapes can arise from very different histories, so the match is a starting point for comparison, not an explanation.
- Bolivia99% overlap · median age 25.5
- Haiti98% overlap · median age 24.3
- Honduras98% overlap · median age 24.6
- Nicaragua98% overlap · median age 26.3
- Djibouti97% overlap · median age 25.2
- Jordan97% overlap · median age 24.9
To calculate school-age, working-age, or older groups with other boundaries, use the age-group calculator for Laos.
Use this chart in your work
Charts and tables may be reused with attribution. Please link to this page and credit the United Nations as the data source.
Embed the population pyramid
Cite this page
APA
World Population Pyramid. (2026, October 19). Laos Population Pyramid 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/laos/
MLA
“Laos Population Pyramid 2026.” World Population Pyramid, 19 Oct. 2026, worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/laos/.
Chicago
World Population Pyramid. “Laos Population Pyramid 2026.” Last modified October 19, 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/laos/.
Underlying data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Laos in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, Laos's population in 2026 is projected at 7,974,018.
What is the median age in Laos?
The projected median age in Laos in 2026 is 25.3 years: half the population is younger and half is older.
What is the fertility rate in Laos?
The projected total fertility rate in 2026 is 2.33 births per woman, above the replacement level of about 2.1 in low-mortality populations.
Is Laos's population projected to grow?
Between 2026 and 2050, the UN medium scenario indicates the population will grow by about 22%, from 8M to 9.8M.
What share of Laos is aged 65 or older?
In 2026, 5.0% of the projected population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, the medium scenario places the share at 9.9%.
How many babies are born in Laos each year?
The UN medium scenario projects 160,077 births and 49,165 deaths in 2026, about 438 births a day. Births exceed deaths by 110,912.
What is life expectancy in Laos for men and women?
Life expectancy at birth in 2026 is projected at 72.0 years for women and 67.5 years for men, a gap of 4.5 years in favour of women.
Does Laos have more immigrants or emigrants?
Laos is projected to lose about 11,125 more people through emigration than it gains in 2026. Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates cumulative net migration of −552,170.
What is the sex ratio in Laos?
The projected 2026 population sex ratio is 100.9 males per 100 females. This all-age ratio is different from the sex ratio at birth and can vary substantially by age.
Sources and notes
- United Nations, DESA, Population Division: World Population Prospects 2024, medium scenario.
- Population values are mid-year figures. Source values published in thousands are converted to people; displayed figures may imply more precision than is appropriate for planning.
- Historical values through 2023 are estimates. Values from 2024 onward are projections.
- Calculations follow the site methodology.