Cambodia vs Laos
Laos is 31% larger than Cambodia.
CambodiaLaosCambodia moved onto Laos · Equal-area projection
0.76×
Cambodia is 0.76× the area of Laos. Put the other way, Laos is 1.31× the size of Cambodia.
 Cambodia |  Laos | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaLaos: 1.31× the area | 181,035 km²#88 of 194 | 236,800 km²#82 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationCambodia: 2.27× the population | 17,847,982#73 of 194 · 2025 | 7,873,046#103 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityCambodia: 2.97× the density | 99 / km²#91 of 194 | 33 / km²#146 of 194 |
| Urban populationAbout the same urban share | 41%#147 of 192 · 2025 | 40%#149 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateCambodia: 1.06× the births per woman | 2.55 per woman#71 of 192 · 2024 | 2.40 per woman#77 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthLaos: 0.14 points higher | +1.18%#86 of 192 · 2025 | +1.32%#74 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateAbout the same birth rate | 20.3 per 1,000#70 of 192 · 2024 | 20.9 per 1,000#64 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateCambodia: 1.05× the death rate | 6.5 per 1,000#122 of 192 · 2024 | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Laos: 0.3 points higher | 29.5%#71 of 192 · 2025 | 29.8%#70 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Cambodia: 1.6 points higher | 6.4%#110 of 192 · 2025 | 4.8%#127 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationLaos: 0.4 per 1,000 higher | −1.8 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2025 | −1.4 per 1,000#126 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadLaos: 1.3× the refugees for its size | 0.63 per 1,000#72 of 190 · 2025 | 0.82 per 1,000#64 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyCambodia: 1.6 years longer | 70.8 years#126 of 192 · 2024 | 69.2 years#136 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityLaos: 1.66× the infant mortality | 16.4 per 1,000 births#75 of 191 · 2024 | 27.2 per 1,000 births#53 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsLaos: 1.57× the doctors per person | 0.21 per 1,000#147 of 178 · 2019 | 0.33 per 1,000#135 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentCambodia: 1.44× the university enrolment | 21.4%#112 of 145 · 2024 | 14.9%#122 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexLaos: 0.011 higher | 0.606#148 of 190 · 2023 | 0.617#144 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaCambodia: 1.28× the income per person | $2,750#141 of 185 · 2025 | $2,150#147 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPCambodia: 2.8× the economy | $51.27B2025 | $18.3B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Laos: 1.22× the output per person | $8,543#135 of 184 · 2025 | $10,383#125 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthCambodia: 0.8 points higher | +5.3%#41 of 187 · 2025 | +4.5%#55 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationLaos: 5.3 points higher | +2.4%#103 of 176 · 2025 | +7.7%#31 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentLaos: 4.0× the unemployment | 0.3%#177 of 178 · 2025 | 1.2%#171 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 7.1%#49 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 34.7#73 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureLaos: 35.2 points higher | 33.4% of jobs#53 of 178 · 2025 | 68.6% of jobs#6 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryCambodia: 21.5 points higher | 28.9% of jobs#23 of 178 · 2025 | 7.4% of jobs#169 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesCambodia: 13.7 points higher | 37.7% of jobs#151 of 178 · 2025 | 24.0% of jobs#171 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentCambodia: 2.2 points higher | 9.9% of GDP#18 of 184 · 2025 | 7.7% of GDP#23 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | 68.6% of GDP#26 of 168 · 2025 | — |
| Military spending | 1.4% of GDP#90 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet usersCambodia: 1.04× the share online | 69%#122 of 184 · 2024 | 66%#128 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsCambodia: 1.78× the mobile subscriptions | 116 per 100#93 of 191 · 2024 | 65 per 100#167 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaLaos: 1.51× the forest share | 38% of land#74 of 192 · 2024 | 57% of land#36 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personLaos: 3.05× the CO₂ per person | 1.10 t a year#127 of 185 · 2024 | 3.35 t a year#79 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyCambodia: 3.2 points higher | 52.4%#46 of 190 · 2021 | 49.2%#50 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityCambodia: 2.7 points higher | 99.2%#110 of 192 · 2024 | 96.5%#124 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Laos: 1.34× the air pollution | 19.4 µg/m³#88 of 191 · 2023 | 26.0 µg/m³#61 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landCambodia: 21.0 points higher | 39.8% of land#12 of 191 · 2025 | 18.8% of land#88 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landCambodia: 18.0 points higher | 23.3% of land#44 of 190 · 2024 | 5.3% of land#127 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressLaos: 4.8× the water stress | 1.0%#160 of 176 · 2022 | 4.8%#120 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationCambodia: 1.04× the rain and snow | 1,904 mm#37 of 180 · 2022 | 1,834 mm#38 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityLaos: 0.22 higher | +0.33#78 of 193 · 2025 | +0.55#65 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionLaos: 0.27 higher | −1.26#171 of 193 · 2025 | −0.99#155 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy | One-party statecommunist party-led state |
| Member of | ASEAN | ASEAN |
| Capital | Phnom Penh | Vientiane |
| Currency | Riel (KHR) | Lao kip (LAK) |
| Official languages | Khmer | Lao |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+7 | UTC+7 |
| Calling code | +855 | +856 |
| Region | South-Eastern Asia, Asia | South-Eastern Asia, Asia |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Cambodia sits at about 13° N and is stretched to 1.05× its true area; Laos at 18° N is stretched to 1.11×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Cambodia bigger than Laos?
- No. Cambodia is 24% smaller than Laos. Cambodia covers 181,035 km² and Laos covers 236,800 km².
- How many times does Cambodia fit into Laos?
- About 1.3 times: Laos has 1.31× the area of Cambodia.
- Why do Cambodia and Laos look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Cambodia is drawn about 1.05× its true area there and Laos about 1.11×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Cambodia or Laos?
- Cambodia: 17,847,982 people against 7,873,046. Density: Cambodia 99 per km², Laos 33 per km².
- Which is richer, Cambodia or Laos?
- By gross national income per person, Cambodia: $2,750 against $2,150 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.28× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Cambodia or Laos?
- In Cambodia: life expectancy at birth is 70.8 years, against 69.2 — 1.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Cambodia and Laos have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Cambodia: constitutional monarchy; Laos: one-party state.