Urban population growth (annual %) in Laos
Laos: Urban population growth (annual %) was 3.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Urban population growth in Laos, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population growth in Laos is 3.2%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 1.5% on the previous year and up 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in Laos peaked at 7.3% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 2.7%, in 2014.
Laos ranks 41st of 218 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Urban population growth (annual %) in Laos, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 3.0% | — |
| 1962 | 3.2% | +8.5% |
| 1963 | 3.4% | +5.4% |
| 1964 | 3.5% | +3.5% |
| 1965 | 3.6% | +3.5% |
| 1966 | 3.7% | +2.2% |
| 1967 | 4.3% | +16.3% |
| 1968 | 5.2% | +21.4% |
| 1969 | 5.8% | +11.2% |
| 1970 | 6.1% | +4.9% |
| 1971 | 6.1% | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 5.9% | -3.7% |
| 1973 | 5.5% | -7.4% |
| 1974 | 5.0% | -7.5% |
| 1975 | 4.7% | -6.1% |
| 1976 | 4.4% | -7.8% |
| 1977 | 4.1% | -6.8% |
| 1978 | 3.9% | -3.4% |
| 1979 | 4.0% | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 4.1% | +4.5% |
| 1981 | 4.4% | +5.6% |
| 1982 | 4.6% | +5.0% |
| 1983 | 4.8% | +3.6% |
| 1984 | 4.9% | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 5.0% | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 4.9% | -1.0% |
| 1987 | 4.8% | -1.8% |
| 1988 | 4.8% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 4.8% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 4.9% | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 4.9% | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 5.0% | +2.1% |
| 1993 | 5.2% | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 5.3% | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 5.5% | +4.2% |
| 1996 | 6.2% | +12.9% |
| 1997 | 6.9% | +10.8% |
| 1998 | 7.2% | +3.9% |
| 1999 | 7.3% | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 7.1% | -1.6% |
| 2001 | 6.9% | -3.9% |
| 2002 | 6.4% | -6.6% |
| 2003 | 5.8% | -9.5% |
| 2004 | 5.1% | -12.7% |
| 2005 | 4.4% | -12.8% |
| 2006 | 4.2% | -5.8% |
| 2007 | 4.0% | -4.0% |
| 2008 | 3.8% | -4.5% |
| 2009 | 3.6% | -4.6% |
| 2010 | 3.5% | -4.9% |
| 2011 | 3.3% | -5.2% |
| 2012 | 3.1% | -5.5% |
| 2013 | 2.9% | -5.9% |
| 2014 | 2.7% | -6.7% |
| 2015 | 2.9% | +4.8% |
| 2016 | 3.7% | +28.2% |
| 2017 | 3.6% | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 3.5% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 3.5% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 3.5% | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 3.4% | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 3.3% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 3.3% | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 3.3% | -1.4% |
| 2025 | 3.2% | -1.5% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 3.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.7%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Laos's 3.2% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.9%, 3.5× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.0% | 3.0% | 5.8% | 9 |
| 1970s | 5.0% | 3.9% | 6.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.7% | 4.1% | 5.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.8% | 4.9% | 7.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.1% | 3.6% | 7.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.3% | 2.7% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.3% | 3.2% | 3.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Laos
More climate change data for Laos
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 11,464 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,980 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 8,484 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 11.25 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 303.01 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,806 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 581.36 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,224 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 2.19 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 79.45 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in Laos?
- Urban population growth in Laos was 3.2% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 7.3% in 1999.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.7% in 2014.
- How does Laos rank for urban population growth?
- Laos ranks 41st out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.