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Laos vs. Burma

Demographics

LaosBurma
Population7,574,356 (July 2021 est.)57,069,099 (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: 25.97% (male 7,524,869/female 7,173,333)

15-24 years: 17% (male 4,852,122/female 4,769,412)

25-54 years: 42.76% (male 11,861,971/female 12,337,482)

55-64 years: 8.22% (male 2,179,616/female 2,472,681)

65 years and over: 6.04% (male 1,489,807/female 1,928,778) (2020 est.)
Median agetotal: 24 years

male: 23.7 years

female: 24.4 years (2020 est.)
total: 29.2 years

male: 28.3 years

female: 30 years (2020 est.)
Population growth rate1.46% (2021 est.)0.81% (2021 est.)
Birth rate22.74 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)16.65 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Death rate7.12 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)7.14 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Net migration rate-0.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)-1.38 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: 1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

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

55-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female

total population: 0.97 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: 33.71 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 37.04 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 30.17 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: 69.62 years

male: 67.96 years

female: 71.39 years (2021 est.)
Total fertility rate2.57 children born/woman (2021 est.)2.05 children born/woman (2021 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate0.3% (2020 est.)0.6% (2019 est.)
Nationalitynoun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)

adjective: Lao or Laotian
noun: Burmese (singular and plural)

adjective: Burmese
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
Burman (Bamar) 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian 2%, Mon 2%, other 5%

note: government recognizes 135 indigenous ethnic groups
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS15,000 (2020 est.)240,000 (2019 est.)
ReligionsBuddhist 64.7%, Christian 1.7%, none 31.4%, other/not stated 2.1% (2015 est.)Buddhist 87.9%, Christian 6.2%, Muslim 4.3%, Animist 0.8%, Hindu 0.5%, other 0.2%, none 0.1% (2014 est.)

note: religion estimate is based on the 2014 national census, including an estimate for the non-enumerated population of Rakhine State, which is assumed to mainly affiliate with the Islamic faith; as of December 2019, Muslims probably make up less than 3% of Burma's total population due to the large outmigration of the Rohingya population since 2017
HIV/AIDS - deaths<500 (2020 est.)7,700 (2019 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.
Burmese (official)

major-language sample(s):
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The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

note: minority ethnic groups use their own languages
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: 75.6%

male: 80%

female: 71.8% (2016)
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 and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and Japanese encephalitis

animal contact diseases: rabies
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 10 years (2019)
total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 11 years (2018)
Education expenditures2.9% of GDP (2014)1.9% of GDP (2019)
Urbanizationurban population: 36.9% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 2.99% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
urban population: 31.4% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 1.85% 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: 93% of population

rural: 76.9% of population

total: 81.8% of population

unimproved: urban: 7% of population

rural: 23.1% of population

total: 18.2% 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: 87.6% of population

rural: 67.6% of population

total: 73.7% of population

unimproved: urban: 12.4% of population

rural: 32.4% of population

total: 26.3% of population (2017 est.)
Major cities - population694,000 VIENTIANE (capital) (2021)5.422 million RANGOON (Yangon) (capital), 1.469 million Mandalay (2021)
Maternal mortality rate185 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)250 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight21.1% (2017)19.1% (2017/18)
Health expenditures2.3% (2018)4.8% (2018)
Physicians density0.37 physicians/1,000 population (2017)0.68 physicians/1,000 population (2018)
Hospital bed density1.5 beds/1,000 population (2012)1 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate5.3% (2016)5.8% (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.

Burma's 2014 national census - the first in more than 30 years - revealed that the country's total population is approximately 51.5 million, significantly lower than the Burmese Government's prior estimate of 61 million.  The Burmese Government assumed that the 2% population growth rate between 1973 and 1983 remained constant and that emigration was zero, ignoring later sample surveys showing declining fertility rates and substantial labor migration abroad in recent decades.  These factors reduced the estimated average annual growth rate between 2003 and 2014 to about .9%.  Among Southeast Asian countries, Burma's life expectancy is among the lowest and its infant and maternal mortality rates are among the highest.  The large difference in life expectancy between women and men has resulted in older age cohorts consisting of far more women than men.

Burma's demographic transition began in the 1950s, when mortality rates began to drop.  Fertility did not start to decrease until the 1960s, sustaining high population growth until the decline accelerated in the 1980s.  The birth rate has held fairly steady from 2000 until today.  Since the 1970s, the total fertility rate (TFR) has fallen more than 60%, from almost 6 children per woman to 2.2 in 2016.  The reduced TFR is largely a result of women marrying later and more women never marrying, both being associated with greater educational attainment and labor force participation among women.  TFR, however, varies regionally, between urban and rural areas, by educational attainment, and among ethnic groups, with fertility lowest in urban areas (where it is below replacement level).

The shift in Burma's age structure has been slow (45% of the population is still under 25 years of age) and uneven among its socioeconomic groups.  Any economic boost from the growth of the working-age population is likely to take longer to develop, to have a smaller impact, and to be distributed unequally.  Rural poverty and unemployment continue to drive high levels of internal and international migration.  The majority of labor migration is internal, mainly from rural to urban areas.  The new government's growing regional integration, reforms, and improved diplomatic relations are increasing the pace of international migration and destination choices.  As many as 4-5 million Burmese, mostly from rural areas and several ethnic groups, have taken up unskilled jobs abroad in agriculture, fishing, manufacturing, and domestic service.  Thailand is the most common destination, hosting about 70% of Burma's international migrants, followed by Malaysia, China, and Singapore. 

Burma is a patchwork of more than 130 religious and ethnic groups, distinguishing it as one of the most diverse countries in the region.  Ethnic minorities face substantial discrimination, and the Rohingya, the largest Muslim group, are arguably the most persecuted population in the country.  The Burmese Government and the Buddhist majority see the Rohingya as a threat to identity, competitors for jobs and resources, terrorists, and some still resent them for their alliance with Burma's British colonizers during its 19th century.  Since at least the 1960s, they have been subjected to systematic human rights abuses, violence, marginalization, and disenfranchisement, which authorities continue to deny.  Despite living in Burma for centuries, many Burmese see the Rohingya as illegal Bengali immigrants and refer to them Bengalis.  As a result, the Rohingya have been classified as foreign residents and stripped of their citizenship, rendering them one of the largest stateless populations in the world.  

Hundreds of thousands of Burmese from various ethnic groups have been internally displaced (an estimated 644,000 as of year-end 2016) or have fled to neighboring countries over the decades because of persecution, armed conflict, rural development projects, drought, and natural disasters.  Bangladesh has absorbed the most refugees from Burma, with an estimated 33,000 officially recognized and 200,000 to 500,000 unrecognized Rohingya refugees, as of 2016.  An escalation in violation has caused a surge in the inflow of Rohingya refugees since late August 2017, raising the number to an estimated 870,000.  As of June 2017, another approximately 132,500 refugees, largely Rohingya and Chin, were living in Malaysia, and more than 100,000, mostly Karen, were housed in camps along the Burma-Thailand border. 

Contraceptive prevalence rate54.1% (2017)52.2% (2015/16)
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: 46.5

youth dependency ratio: 37.3

elderly dependency ratio: 9.1

potential support ratio: 10.9 (2020 est.)

Source: CIA Factbook