Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Vietnam is 40% bigger than Laos
Laos: 236,800 km² (2024) · Vietnam: 331,338 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Laos: 0 km (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,444 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Vietnam’s highest peak towers 327 m above Laos’
Laos: 2,817 m (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,144 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 39% of Vietnam, versus 9.5% of Laos
Laos: 9.5% (2024) · Vietnam: 39.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Vietnam has 13 times as many people as Laos
Laos: 7.87 million (2025) · Vietnam: 102 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Vietnam is 9.5 times as densely populated as Laos
Laos: 34 per km² (2025) · Vietnam: 324 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Vietnam are 6.1 cm taller than in Laos
Laos: 162.8 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 168.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Vietnam are 5.3 cm taller than in Laos
Laos: 153.1 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 158.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Vietnam is 8.1 years older than in Laos
Laos: 24.3 years (2023) · Vietnam: 32.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Laos have 0.5 more children on average than in Vietnam
Laos: 2.4 children per woman (2024) · Vietnam: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
9.5% of people in Vietnam are 65 or older, versus 4.8% in Laos
Laos: 4.8% (2025) · Vietnam: 9.5% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Laos: no data · Vietnam: 0.00013 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Vietnam has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Laos none
Laos: 0 (2026) · Vietnam: 0.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
Laos and Vietnam are practically level
Laos: 1 (2026) · Vietnam: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Vietnam’s economy is 28 times the size of Laos’
Laos: $18.3 billion (2025) · Vietnam: $515 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Vietnam produces 74% more per person than Laos
Laos: Int$10,383 (2025) · Vietnam: Int$18,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Vietnam than in Laos (Gini 1.4 points higher)
Laos: 34.7 (2024) · Vietnam: 36.1 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
7.1% of people in Laos live on less than $3 a day, versus 1.6% in Vietnam
Laos: 7.1% (2024) · Vietnam: 1.6% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Vietnam and Laos are practically level
Laos: 1.2% (2025) · Vietnam: 1.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Laos: no data · Vietnam: 2.2% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Laos: 12.1% (2022) · Vietnam: no data
How expensive is it?
Vietnam’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Laos’
Laos: 22% (2025) · Vietnam: 28% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Vietnam spends 7.2 times as much on health per person as Laos
Laos: $27 (2023) · Vietnam: $197 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Vietnam live 5.5 years longer than in Laos
Laos: 69.2 years (2024) · Vietnam: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Laos is 2.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in Vietnam
Laos: 27.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Vietnam: 12 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Vietnam has 3.3 times as many doctors per person as Laos
Laos: 0.3 per 1,000 (2022) · Vietnam: 1.1 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
Vietnam has 47% more hospital beds per person than Laos
Laos: 1.7 per 1,000 (2023) · Vietnam: 2.5 per 1,000 (2017)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Vietnam is 2.3 times that in Laos
Laos: 4.4 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
9.0% of adults in Laos are obese, versus 2.5% in Vietnam
Laos: 9% (2024) · Vietnam: 2.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
25% of adults in Laos smoke, versus 21% in Vietnam
Laos: 25.4% (2024) · Vietnam: 21.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Vietnam rate their lives 0.91 points higher than in Laos
Laos: 5.52 (2025) · Vietnam: 6.43 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Vietnam drink 81% more alcohol than in Laos
Laos: 5.9 litres (2023) · Vietnam: 10.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Vietnam has 95% more meat per person than Laos
Laos: 31.1 kg (2023) · Vietnam: 60.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Laos has 102 kcal more food per person per day than Vietnam
Laos: 3,188 kcal (2023) · Vietnam: 3,086 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Laos: no data · Vietnam: 2,160 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Vietnam went to school 2.9 years longer than in Laos
Laos: 6.1 years (2023) · Vietnam: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Laos welcomed 7.4 times as many tourists per resident as Vietnam (2019)
Laos: 0.61 (2019) · Vietnam: 0.08 (2015)
How many World Heritage sites?
Vietnam has 5 more World Heritage sites than Laos (9 against 4)
Laos: 4 (2026) · Vietnam: 9 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Vietnam has won 5 Olympic medals, Laos none
Laos: 0 (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 5 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
84% of people in Vietnam are online, versus 66% in Laos
Laos: 66% (2024) · Vietnam: 84% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Vietnam is 3.3 times as fast as in Laos
Laos: 75 Mbps (2026) · Vietnam: 244 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Vietnam have electricity, versus 97% in Laos
Laos: 96.5% (2024) · Vietnam: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
40% of people in Laos live in cities, versus 39% in Vietnam
Laos: 40% (2025) · Vietnam: 39% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Vietnam has 128 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Laos 65
Laos: 65 (2023) · Vietnam: 128 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Vietnam’s railway network is 7.5 times as long as Laos’
Laos: 422 km (2023) · Vietnam: 3,159 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Vietnam fly 5.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from Laos
Laos: 0.11 (2023) · Vietnam: 0.54 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 57% of Laos, but only 47% of Vietnam
Laos: 56.6% (2024) · Vietnam: 47.1% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Vietnam emits 17% more CO₂ than someone in Laos
Laos: 3.1 t (2024) · Vietnam: 3.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
77% of Laos’ electricity is renewable, versus 45% in Vietnam
Laos: 76.7% (2024) · Vietnam: 45.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Laos carries 5% more fine dust than in Vietnam
Laos: 27 µg/m³ (2024) · Vietnam: 25.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Vietnam are 4% deadlier than in Laos
Laos: 17.7 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: 18.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Vietnam is on average 0.7 °C warmer than Laos
Laos: 23.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Vietnam gets 10% more rain than Laos
Laos: 1,934 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 2,132 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Laos bigger than Vietnam?
Vietnam is larger. Vietnam is 40% bigger than Laos.
Which has more people, Laos or Vietnam?
Vietnam has 13 times as many people as Laos (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Laos or Vietnam?
People in Vietnam live 5.5 years longer than in Laos. Life expectancy at birth is 69.2 years in Laos and 74.7 in Vietnam.
Are people taller in Laos or Vietnam?
Men in Vietnam are 6.1 cm taller than in Laos (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
