Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Laos fits inside Thailand 2.2 times
Laos: 236,800 km² (2024) · Thailand: 513,115 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Laos: 0 km (2026 edition) · Thailand: 3,219 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Laos’ highest peak towers 252 m above Thailand’s
Laos: 2,817 m (2026 edition) · Thailand: 2,565 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 43% of Thailand, versus 9.5% of Laos
Laos: 9.5% (2024) · Thailand: 43.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Thailand has 9.1 times as many people as Laos
Laos: 7.87 million (2025) · Thailand: 71.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Thailand is 4.1 times as densely populated as Laos
Laos: 34 per km² (2025) · Thailand: 140 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Thailand are 8.8 cm taller than in Laos
Laos: 162.8 cm (2019) · Thailand: 171.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Thailand are 6.3 cm taller than in Laos
Laos: 153.1 cm (2019) · Thailand: 159.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Thailand is 15 years older than in Laos
Laos: 24.3 years (2023) · Thailand: 39.7 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Laos have 1.2 more children on average than in Thailand
Laos: 2.4 children per woman (2024) · Thailand: 1.2 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
16% of people in Thailand are 65 or older, versus 4.8% in Laos
Laos: 4.8% (2025) · Thailand: 16% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Laos: no data · Thailand: 1.2 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Laos and Thailand are practically level
Laos: 0 (2026) · Thailand: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Laos and Thailand are practically level
Laos: 1 (2026) · Thailand: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Thailand’s economy is 32 times the size of Laos’
Laos: $18.3 billion (2025) · Thailand: $577 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Thailand produces 2.5 times as much per person as Laos
Laos: Int$10,383 (2025) · Thailand: Int$26,250 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Laos than in Thailand (Gini 1.4 points higher)
Laos: 34.7 (2024) · Thailand: 33.3 (2024)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
7.1% of people in Laos live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in Thailand
Laos: 7.1% (2024) · Thailand: 0% (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Laos and Thailand are practically level
Laos: 1.2% (2025) · Thailand: 0.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Laos: no data · Thailand: 1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Thailand’s central government collects 15% of GDP in tax, Laos’ 12%
Laos: 12.1% (2022) · Thailand: 15.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Thailand’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Laos’
Laos: 22% (2025) · Thailand: 31% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Thailand spends 12 times as much on health per person as Laos
Laos: $27 (2023) · Thailand: $327 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Thailand live 7.3 years longer than in Laos
Laos: 69.2 years (2024) · Thailand: 76.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Laos is 3.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in Thailand
Laos: 27.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Thailand: 7.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Thailand has 63% more doctors per person than Laos
Laos: 0.3 per 1,000 (2022) · Thailand: 0.5 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
Thailand has 40% more hospital beds per person than Laos
Laos: 1.7 per 1,000 (2023) · Thailand: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Thailand is 2.2 times that in Laos
Laos: 4.4 per 100k (2023) · Thailand: 9.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
16% of adults in Thailand are obese, versus 9.0% in Laos
Laos: 9% (2024) · Thailand: 15.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
25% of adults in Laos smoke, versus 18% in Thailand
Laos: 25.4% (2024) · Thailand: 17.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Thailand rate their lives 0.78 points higher than in Laos
Laos: 5.52 (2025) · Thailand: 6.30 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Thailand drink 34% more alcohol than in Laos
Laos: 5.9 litres (2023) · Thailand: 7.9 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Laos has 27% more meat per person than Thailand
Laos: 31.1 kg (2023) · Thailand: 24.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Laos has 333 kcal more food per person per day than Thailand
Laos: 3,188 kcal (2023) · Thailand: 2,855 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Laos: no data · Thailand: 2,177 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Thailand went to school 3 years longer than in Laos
Laos: 6.1 years (2023) · Thailand: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Laos welcomed 9% more tourists per resident than Thailand (2019)
Laos: 0.61 (2019) · Thailand: 0.56 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
Thailand has 5 more World Heritage sites than Laos (9 against 4)
Laos: 4 (2026) · Thailand: 9 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Thailand has won 41 Olympic medals, Laos none
Laos: 0 (2026 edition) · Thailand: 41 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
91% of people in Thailand are online, versus 66% in Laos
Laos: 66% (2024) · Thailand: 91% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Thailand is 4.8 times as fast as in Laos
Laos: 75 Mbps (2026) · Thailand: 360 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Thailand have electricity, versus 97% in Laos
Laos: 96.5% (2024) · Thailand: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
63% of people in Thailand live in cities, versus 40% in Laos
Laos: 40% (2025) · Thailand: 63% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Thailand has 161 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Laos 65
Laos: 65 (2023) · Thailand: 161 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Thailand’s railway network is 9.7 times as long as Laos’
Laos: 422 km (2023) · Thailand: 4,092 km (2017)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Thailand fly 6.8 times as many passengers per resident as those from Laos
Laos: 0.11 (2023) · Thailand: 0.72 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 57% of Laos, but only 39% of Thailand
Laos: 56.6% (2024) · Thailand: 38.7% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Thailand emits 19% more CO₂ than someone in Laos
Laos: 3.1 t (2024) · Thailand: 3.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
77% of Laos’ electricity is renewable, versus 17% in Thailand
Laos: 76.7% (2024) · Thailand: 16.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Laos carries 16% more fine dust than in Thailand
Laos: 27 µg/m³ (2024) · Thailand: 23.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Thailand are 2 times as deadly as in Laos
Laos: 17.7 per 100k (2023) · Thailand: 35.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Thailand is on average 3.1 °C warmer than Laos
Laos: 23.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Thailand: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Laos gets 17% more rain than Thailand
Laos: 1,934 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Thailand: 1,657 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Laos bigger than Thailand?
Thailand is larger. Laos fits inside Thailand 2.2 times.
Which has more people, Laos or Thailand?
Thailand has 9.1 times as many people as Laos (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Laos or Thailand?
People in Thailand live 7.3 years longer than in Laos. Life expectancy at birth is 69.2 years in Laos and 76.6 in Thailand.
Are people taller in Laos or Thailand?
Men in Thailand are 8.8 cm taller than in Laos (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
