Laos vs Vanuatu: Share of population living in urban areas
Laos
30.6%
in 2020
Vanuatu
30.0%
in 2020
Laos rank
222nd
Vanuatu rank
224th
Share of population living in urban areas over time
- Laos
- Vanuatu
How they compare
Laos currently reports 30.6% against 30.0% in Vanuatu, a difference of 0.6%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Laos ahead.
Laos ranks 222nd and Vanuatu ranks 224th of 236 countries.
Laos has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Laos | Vanuatu | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 12.0% | 0.0% | 12.0% | Laos |
| 1960s | 14.4% | 0.0% | 14.4% | Laos |
| 1970s | 17.3% | 8.3% | 8.9% | Laos |
| 1980s | 19.5% | 12.5% | 7.0% | Laos |
| 1990s | 22.3% | 20.9% | 1.4% | Laos |
| 2000s | 25.4% | 24.5% | 0.9% | Laos |
| 2010s | 27.8% | 27.7% | 0.0% | Laos |
| 2020s | 30.6% | 30.0% | 0.7% | Laos |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in urban areas, Laos or Vanuatu?
- Laos, at 30.6% against 30.0% in Vanuatu as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urban areas between Laos and Vanuatu?
- 0.6%, with Laos ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Laos and Vanuatu?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Laos and Vanuatu rank globally for share of population living in urban areas?
- Laos ranks 222nd and Vanuatu ranks 224th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.