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Laos vs. Cambodia

Demographics

LaosCambodia
Population7,574,356 (July 2021 est.)17,304,363 (July 2021 est.)
Age structure0-14 years: 31.25% (male 1,177,297/female 1,149,727)

15-24 years: 20.6% (male 763,757/female 770,497)

25-54 years: 38.29% (male 1,407,823/female 1,443,774)

55-64 years: 5.73% (male 206,977/female 219,833)

65 years and over: 4.13% (male 139,665/female 168,046) (2020 est.)
0-14 years: 30.18% (male 2,582,427/female 2,525,619)

15-24 years: 17.28% (male 1,452,784/female 1,472,769)

25-54 years: 41.51% (male 3,442,051/female 3,584,592)

55-64 years: 6.44% (male 476,561/female 612,706)

65 years and over: 4.59% (male 287,021/female 490,454) (2020 est.)
Median agetotal: 24 years

male: 23.7 years

female: 24.4 years (2020 est.)
total: 26.4 years

male: 25.6 years

female: 27.2 years (2020 est.)
Population growth rate1.46% (2021 est.)1.34% (2021 est.)
Birth rate22.74 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)20.84 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Death rate7.12 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)7.15 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Net migration rate-0.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)-0.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Sex ratioat birth: 1.04 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 0.96 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.78 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female

total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
Infant mortality ratetotal: 49.48 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 55.75 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 42.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)
total: 45.62 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 52.46 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 38.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)
Life expectancy at birthtotal population: 66 years

male: 63.83 years

female: 68.26 years (2021 est.)
total population: 66.27 years

male: 63.7 years

female: 68.95 years (2021 est.)
Total fertility rate2.57 children born/woman (2021 est.)2.36 children born/woman (2021 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate0.3% (2020 est.)0.5% (2020 est.)
Nationalitynoun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)

adjective: Lao or Laotian
noun: Cambodian(s)

adjective: Cambodian
Ethnic groupsLao 53.2%, Khmou 11%, Hmong 9.2%, Phouthay 3.4%, Tai 3.1%, Makong 2.5%, Katong 2.2%, Lue 2%, Akha 1.8%, other 11.6% (2015 est.)

note: the Laos Government officially recognizes 49 ethnic groups, but the total number of ethnic groups is estimated to be well over 200
Khmer 97.6%, Cham 1.2%, Chinese 0.1%, Vietnamese 0.1%, other 0.9% (2013 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS15,000 (2020 est.)75,000 (2020 est.)
ReligionsBuddhist 64.7%, Christian 1.7%, none 31.4%, other/not stated 2.1% (2015 est.)Buddhist (official) 97.9%, Muslim 1.1%, Christian 0.5%, other 0.6% (2013 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths<500 (2020 est.)1,200 (2020 est.)
LanguagesLao (official), French, English, various ethnic languages

major-language sample(s):
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The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Khmer (official) 95.8%, minority languages 2.9%, Chinese .6%, Vietnamese .5%, other .2% (2019 est.)

major-language sample(s):
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The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Literacydefinition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 84.7%

male: 90%

female: 79.4% (2015)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 80.5%

male: 86.5%

female: 75% (2015)
Major infectious diseasesdegree of risk: very high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
degree of risk: very high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and malaria
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 10 years (2019)
total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 10 years (2008)
Education expenditures2.9% of GDP (2014)2.2% of GDP (2018)
Urbanizationurban population: 36.9% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 2.99% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
urban population: 24.7% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 3.06% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Drinking water sourceimproved: urban: 94.4% of population

rural: 76.8% of population

total: 82.1% of population

unimproved: urban: 5.6% of population

rural: 23.2% of population

total: 17.9% of population (2017 est.)
improved: urban: 98.4% of population

rural: 77.8% of population

total: 80.3% of population

unimproved: urban: 1.6% of population

rural: 22.2% of population

total: 19.7% of population (2017 est.)
Sanitation facility accessimproved: urban: 98% of population

rural: 66.3% of population

total: 77.2% of population

unimproved: urban: 2% of population

rural: 33.7% of population

total: 22.8% of population (2017 est.)
improved: urban: 100% of population

rural: 55.5% of population

total: 65.7% of population

unimproved: urban: 0% of population

rural: 44.5% of population

total: 34.3% of population (2017 est.)
Major cities - population694,000 VIENTIANE (capital) (2021)2.144 million PHNOM PENH (capital) (2021)
Maternal mortality rate185 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)160 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight21.1% (2017)24.1% (2014)
Health expenditures2.3% (2018)6% (2018)
Physicians density0.37 physicians/1,000 population (2017)0.19 physicians/1,000 population (2014)
Hospital bed density1.5 beds/1,000 population (2012)1.9 beds/1,000 population (2016)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate5.3% (2016)3.9% (2016)
Demographic profile

Laos is a predominantly rural country with a youthful population - almost 55% of the population is under the age of 25.  Its progress on health and development issues has been uneven geographically, among ethnic groups, and socioeconomically.  Laos has made headway in poverty reduction, with the poverty rate almost halving from 46% in 1992/93 to 22% in 2012/13.  Nevertheless, pronounced rural-urban disparities persist, and income inequality is rising.  Poverty most affects populations in rural and highland areas, particularly ethnic minority groups. 

The total fertility rate (TFR) has decreased markedly from around 6 births per woman on average in 1990 to approximately 2.8 in 2016, but it is still one of the highest in Southeast Asia.  TFR is higher in rural and remote areas, among ethnic minority groups, the less-educated, and the poor; it is lower in urban areas and among the more educated and those with higher incomes.  Although Laos' mortality rates have improved substantially over the last few decades, the maternal mortality rate and childhood malnutrition remain at high levels.  As fertility and mortality rates continue to decline, the proportion of Laos' working-age population will increase, and its share of dependents will shrink.  The age structure shift will provide Laos with the potential to realize a demographic dividend during the next few decades, if it can improve educational access and quality and gainfully employ its growing working-age population in productive sectors.  Currently, Laos primary school enrollment is nearly universal, but the drop-out rate remains problematic.  Secondary school enrollment has also increased but remains low, especially for girls. 

Laos has historically been a country of emigration and internal displacement due to conflict and a weak economy. The Laos civil war (1953 - 1975) mainly caused internal displacement (numbering in the hundreds of thousands).  Following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, indigenous people in remote, war-struck areas were resettled and more than 300,000 people fled to Thailand to escape the communist regime that took power.  The majority of those who sought refuge in Thailand ultimately were resettled in the US (mainly Hmong who fought with US forces), and lesser numbers went to France, Canada, and Australia. 

The Laos Government carried out resettlement programs between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s to relocate ethnic minority groups from the rural northern highlands to development areas in the lowlands ostensibly to alleviate poverty, make basic services more accessible, eliminate slash-and-burn agriculture and opium production, integrate ethnic minorities, and control rebel groups (including Hmong insurgents).  For many, however, resettlement has exacerbated poverty, led to the loss of livelihoods, and increased food insecurity and mortality rates.  As the resettlement programs started to wane in the second half of the 1990s, migration from the northern highlands to urban centers - chiefly the capital Vientiane - to pursue better jobs in the growing manufacturing and service sectors became the main type of relocation.  Migration of villagers from the south seeking work in neighboring Thailand also increased.  Thailand is the main international migration destination for Laotians because of the greater availability of jobs and higher pay than at home; nearly a million Laotian migrants were estimated to live in Thailand as of 2015.

Cambodia is a predominantly rural country with among the most ethnically and religiously homogenous populations in Southeast Asia: more than 95% of its inhabitants are Khmer and more than 95% are Buddhist.  The population's size and age structure shrank and then rebounded during the 20th century as a result of conflict and mass death.  During the Khmer Rouge regime between 1975 and 1979 as many as 1.5 to 2 million people are estimated to have been killed or died as a result of starvation, disease, or overwork - a loss of about 25% of the population.  At the same time, emigration was high, and the fertility rate sharply declined.  In the 1980s, after the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge, fertility nearly doubled and reached pre-Khmer Rouge levels of close to 7 children per woman, reflecting in part higher infant survival rates.  The baby boom was followed by a sustained fertility decline starting in the early 1990s, eventually decreasing from 3.8 in 2000 to 2.9 in 2010, although the rate varied by income, education, and rural versus urban location.  Despite continuing fertility reduction, Cambodia still has a youthful population that is likely to maintain population growth through population momentum. Improvements have also been made in mortality, life expectancy, and contraceptive prevalence, although reducing malnutrition among children remains stalled.  Differences in health indicators are pronounced between urban and rural areas, which experience greater poverty.

Cambodia is predominantly a country of migration, driven by the search for work, education, or marriage.  Internal migration is more prevalent than international migration, with rural to urban migration being the most common, followed by rural to rural migration.  Urban migration focuses on the pursuit of unskilled or semi-skilled jobs in Phnom Penh, with men working mainly in the construction industry and women working in garment factories.  Most Cambodians who migrate abroad do so illegally using brokers because it is cheaper and faster than through formal channels, but doing so puts them at risk of being trafficked for forced labor or sexual exploitation.  Young Cambodian men and women migrate short distances across the Thai border using temporary passes to work in agriculture, while others migrate long distances primarily into Thailand and Malaysia for work in agriculture, fishing, construction, manufacturing, and domestic service.  Cambodia was a refugee sending country in the 1970s and 1980s as a result of the brutality of the Khmer Rouge regime, its ousting by the Vietnamese invasion, and the resultant civil war.  Tens of thousands of Cambodians fled to Thailand; more than 100,000 were resettled in the US in the 1980s.  Cambodia signed a multi-million dollar agreement with Australia in 2014 to voluntarily resettle refugees seeking shelter in Australia.  However, the deal has proven to be a failure because of poor conditions and a lack of support services for the few refugees willing to accept the offer.

Contraceptive prevalence rate54.1% (2017)56.3% (2014)
Dependency ratiostotal dependency ratio: 56.8

youth dependency ratio: 50.1

elderly dependency ratio: 6.7

potential support ratio: 15 (2020 est.)
total dependency ratio: 55.7

youth dependency ratio: 48.2

elderly dependency ratio: 7.6

potential support ratio: 13.2 (2020 est.)

Source: CIA Factbook