Guyana vs Laos
Laos is 10% larger than Guyana.
GuyanaLaosGuyana moved onto Laos · Equal-area projection
0.91×
Guyana is 0.91× the area of Laos. Put the other way, Laos is 1.1× the size of Guyana.
 Guyana |  Laos | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaLaos: 1.1× the area | 214,970 km²#83 of 194 | 236,800 km²#82 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationLaos: 9.42× the population | 835,986#161 of 194 · 2025 | 7,873,046#103 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityLaos: 8.55× the density | 3.9 / km²#190 of 194 | 33 / km²#146 of 194 |
| Urban populationLaos: 1.52× the urban share | 27%#177 of 192 · 2025 | 40%#149 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAbout the same births per woman | 2.40 per woman#77 of 192 · 2024 | 2.40 per woman#77 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthLaos: 0.73 points higher | +0.59%#121 of 192 · 2025 | +1.32%#74 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateLaos: 1.05× the birth rate | 19.9 per 1,000#73 of 192 · 2024 | 20.9 per 1,000#64 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateGuyana: 1.21× the death rate | 7.5 per 1,000#86 of 192 · 2024 | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Laos: 0.9 points higher | 28.9%#74 of 192 · 2025 | 29.8%#70 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Guyana: 2.2 points higher | 7.0%#101 of 192 · 2025 | 4.8%#127 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationLaos: 4.7 per 1,000 higher | −6.1 per 1,000#176 of 192 · 2025 | −1.4 per 1,000#126 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadLaos: 2.0× the refugees for its size | 0.41 per 1,000#79 of 190 · 2025 | 0.82 per 1,000#64 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyGuyana: 1.1 years longer | 70.3 years#129 of 192 · 2024 | 69.2 years#136 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityLaos: 1.17× the infant mortality | 23.2 per 1,000 births#62 of 191 · 2024 | 27.2 per 1,000 births#53 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsGuyana: 4.21× the doctors per person | 1.39 per 1,000#96 of 178 · 2020 | 0.33 per 1,000#135 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentGuyana: 1.77× the university enrolment | 26.4%#104 of 145 · 2024 | 14.9%#122 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexGuyana: 0.159 higher | 0.776#88 of 190 · 2023 | 0.617#144 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaGuyana: 13.2× the income per person | $28,470#41 of 185 · 2025 | $2,150#147 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPGuyana: 1.48× the economy | $27.1B2025 | $18.3B2025 |
| Income group | High income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Guyana: 9.43× the output per person | $97,899#7 of 184 · 2025 | $10,383#125 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthGuyana: 14.8 points higher | +19.3%#1 of 187 · 2025 | +4.5%#55 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationLaos: 4.4 points higher | +3.3%#81 of 176 · 2025 | +7.7%#31 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentGuyana: 10× the unemployment | 12.0%#25 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: 56.4 points higher | 12.2% of jobs#101 of 178 · 2025 | 68.6% of jobs#6 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryGuyana: 23.7 points higher | 31.1% of jobs#15 of 178 · 2025 | 7.4% of jobs#169 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesGuyana: 32.7 points higher | 56.7% of jobs#94 of 178 · 2025 | 24.0% of jobs#171 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentGuyana: 25.4 points higher | 33.1% of GDP#3 of 184 · 2025 | 7.7% of GDP#23 of 184 · 2025 |
| Military spending | 1.0% of GDP#115 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet usersGuyana: 1.27× the share online | 83%#86 of 184 · 2024 | 66%#128 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsGuyana: 1.74× the mobile subscriptions | 113 per 100#102 of 191 · 2022 | 65 per 100#167 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaGuyana: 1.54× the forest share | 87% of land#6 of 192 · 2024 | 57% of land#36 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personGuyana: 1.36× the CO₂ per person | 4.56 t a year#51 of 185 · 2024 | 3.35 t a year#79 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyLaos: 37.1 points higher | 12.1%#133 of 190 · 2022 | 49.2%#50 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityLaos: 3.5 points higher | 93.0%#134 of 192 · 2024 | 96.5%#124 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Laos: 1.54× the air pollution | 16.9 µg/m³#100 of 191 · 2023 | 26.0 µg/m³#61 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landLaos: 10.4 points higher | 8.4% of land#150 of 191 · 2025 | 18.8% of land#88 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landLaos: 4.9 points higher | 0.4% of land#183 of 190 · 2024 | 5.3% of land#127 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressLaos: 1.45× the water stress | 3.3%#139 of 176 · 2022 | 4.8%#120 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationGuyana: 1.3× the rain and snow | 2,387 mm#16 of 180 · 2022 | 1,834 mm#38 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityLaos: 0.35 higher | +0.20#87 of 193 · 2025 | +0.55#65 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionGuyana: 0.61 higher | −0.38#109 of 193 · 2025 | −0.99#155 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 19.1 per 100,000#18 of 146 · 2023 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | One-party statecommunist party-led state |
| Member of | — | ASEAN |
| Capital | Georgetown | Vientiane |
| Currency | Guyanese dollar (GYD) | Lao kip (LAK) |
| Official languages | English | Lao |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−4 | UTC+7 |
| Calling code | +592 | +856 |
| Region | South America | 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. Guyana sits at about 5° N and is stretched to 1.01× 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 Guyana bigger than Laos?
- No. Guyana is 9% smaller than Laos. Guyana covers 214,970 km² and Laos covers 236,800 km².
- How many times does Guyana fit into Laos?
- About 1.1 times: Laos has 1.1× the area of Guyana.
- Why do Guyana and Laos look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Guyana is drawn about 1.01× 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, Guyana or Laos?
- Laos: 7,873,046 people against 835,986. Density: Guyana 3.9 per km², Laos 33 per km².
- Which is richer, Guyana or Laos?
- By gross national income per person, Guyana: $28,470 against $2,150 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 13.2× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Guyana or Laos?
- In Guyana: life expectancy at birth is 70.3 years, against 69.2 — 1.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Guyana and Laos have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Guyana: parliamentary republic; Laos: one-party state.