Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Lao People's Democratic Republic

Lao People's Democratic Republic: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 30.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
30.6%
World rank
222nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
30.6%
in 2020
All-time low
11.4%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Lao People's Democratic Republic, 1950–2020

01020301950198520201950: 11.4 %1955: 12.6 %1960: 13.8 %1965: 15.1 %1970: 16.5 %1975: 18.1 %1980: 18.7 %1985: 20.2 %1990: 21.6 %1995: 23.1 %2000: 24.4 %2005: 26.4 %2010: 27.2 %2015: 28.4 %2020: 30.6 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Lao People's Democratic Republic recorded 30.6% for share of population living in urban and rural areas in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

That represents a change of up 12.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Lao People's Democratic Republic peaked at 30.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 11.4%, in 1950.

Lao People's Democratic Republic ranks 222nd of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Lao People's Democratic Republic, year by year

Annual values for Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Lao People's Democratic Republic, 1950 to 2020.
Year % Change
1950 11.4%
1955 12.6% +10.0%
1960 13.8% +9.6%
1965 15.1% +9.3%
1970 16.5% +9.4%
1975 18.1% +9.6%
1980 18.7% +3.3%
1985 20.2% +8.4%
1990 21.6% +6.5%
1995 23.1% +7.0%
2000 24.4% +5.8%
2005 26.4% +8.1%
2010 27.2% +3.0%
2015 28.4% +4.2%
2020 30.6% +8.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 12.0% 11.4% 12.6% 2
1960s 14.4% 13.8% 15.1% 2
1970s 17.3% 16.5% 18.1% 2
1980s 19.5% 18.7% 20.2% 2
1990s 22.3% 21.6% 23.1% 2
2000s 25.4% 24.4% 26.4% 2
2010s 27.8% 27.2% 28.4% 2
2020s 30.6% 30.6% 30.6% 1

Countries ranked near Lao People's Democratic Republic

  1. 219 Faroe Islands 37.8% compare
  2. 220 Lesotho 37.7% compare
  3. 221 Zimbabwe 33.6% compare
  4. 223 Bhutan 30.5% compare
  5. 224 Vanuatu 30.0% compare
  6. 225 Micronesia, Federated States of 29.4% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Lao People's Democratic Republic

All data for Lao People's Democratic Republic →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban and rural areas in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Lao People's Democratic Republic was 30.6% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
The highest recorded value was 30.6% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
The lowest recorded value was 11.4% in 1950.
How does Lao People's Democratic Republic rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
Lao People's Democratic Republic ranks 222nd out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
Over the last ten years it is up 12.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Lao People's Democratic Republic data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Lao People's Democratic Republic. Statizoid, drawing on European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-people-living-in-urban-and-rural-areas-degurba/lao-pdr/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban and rural areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

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.