Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Laos
Laos: Do more people live in urban or rural areas? was 40.3% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Laos, 1000–2025
Source: HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Laos recorded 40.3% for do more people live in urban or rural areas? in 2025. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and up 21.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Laos peaked at 40.3% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1000.
That places Laos 187th out of 238 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1100s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1200s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1300s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1400s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1500s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1600s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 1 |
| 1700s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 1 |
| 1710s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 1 |
| 1720s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 1 |
| 1730s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1 |
| 1740s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1 |
| 1750s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 1 |
| 1760s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 1 |
| 1770s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 1 |
| 1780s | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 1 |
| 1790s | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 1 |
| 1800s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1 |
| 1810s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1 |
| 1820s | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1 |
| 1830s | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1 |
| 1840s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1 |
| 1850s | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1 |
| 1860s | 2.2% | 2.2% | 2.2% | 1 |
| 1870s | 2.5% | 2.5% | 2.5% | 1 |
| 1880s | 2.8% | 2.8% | 2.8% | 1 |
| 1890s | 3.2% | 3.2% | 3.2% | 1 |
| 1900s | 3.7% | 3.7% | 3.7% | 1 |
| 1910s | 4.2% | 4.2% | 4.2% | 1 |
| 1920s | 4.8% | 4.8% | 4.8% | 1 |
| 1930s | 5.5% | 5.5% | 5.5% | 1 |
| 1940s | 6.3% | 6.3% | 6.3% | 1 |
| 1950s | 7.7% | 7.5% | 7.8% | 10 |
| 1960s | 8.3% | 7.8% | 9.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 10.9% | 9.5% | 12.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 13.7% | 12.4% | 14.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.5% | 15.2% | 21.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.6% | 22.2% | 30.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.1% | 30.6% | 35.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.5% | 36.6% | 40.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Laos
More reference data data for Laos
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.2805 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8819 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -0.3578 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.4679 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.95 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 317.16 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Laos?
- Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Laos was 40.3% in 2025, according to HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 40.3% in 2025.
- What is the lowest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1000.
- How does Laos rank for do more people live in urban or rural areas??
- Laos ranks 187th out of 238 countries with data for 2025.
- Is do more people live in urban or rural areas? rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Do more people live in urban or rural areas?. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of the population living in urban areas, combining UN estimates with modelled historical data.