Laos vs Myanmar
Myanmar is 2.86 times larger than Laos. Laos would fit into Myanmar about 2.9 times.
LaosMyanmarLaos moved onto Myanmar · Equal-area projection
0.35×
Laos is 0.35× the area of Myanmar. Put the other way, Myanmar is 2.86× the size of Laos.
 Laos |  Myanmar | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaMyanmar: 2.86× the area | 236,800 km²#82 of 194 | 676,577 km²#39 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationMyanmar: 6.97× the population | 7,873,046#103 of 194 · 2025 | 54,850,648#27 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMyanmar: 2.44× the density | 33 / km²#146 of 194 | 81 / km²#102 of 194 |
| Urban populationLaos: 1.32× the urban share | 40%#149 of 192 · 2025 | 31%#171 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateLaos: 1.14× the births per woman | 2.40 per woman#77 of 192 · 2024 | 2.10 per woman#92 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthLaos: 0.68 points higher | +1.32%#74 of 192 · 2025 | +0.64%#119 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateLaos: 1.27× the birth rate | 20.9 per 1,000#64 of 192 · 2024 | 16.5 per 1,000#88 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateMyanmar: 1.48× the death rate | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 | 9.2 per 1,000#50 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Laos: 5.7 points higher | 29.8%#70 of 192 · 2025 | 24.1%#98 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Myanmar: 2.7 points higher | 4.8%#127 of 192 · 2025 | 7.5%#96 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationMyanmar: 0.7 per 1,000 higher | −1.4 per 1,000#126 of 192 · 2025 | −0.7 per 1,000#111 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadMyanmar: 33.9× the refugees for its size | 0.82 per 1,000#64 of 190 · 2025 | 27.79 per 1,000#9 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyLaos: 2.1 years longer | 69.2 years#136 of 192 · 2024 | 67.1 years#152 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMyanmar: 1.21× the infant mortality | 27.2 per 1,000 births#53 of 191 · 2024 | 32.8 per 1,000 births#40 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsMyanmar: 2.3× the doctors per person | 0.33 per 1,000#135 of 178 · 2022 | 0.76 per 1,000#113 of 178 · 2019 |
| University enrolment | 14.9%#122 of 145 · 2023 | — |
| Human Development IndexLaos: 0.008 higher | 0.617#144 of 190 · 2023 | 0.609#147 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaLaos: 1.63× the income per person | $2,150#147 of 185 · 2025 | $1,320#161 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPMyanmar: 4.46× the economy | $18.3B2025 | $81.67B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Laos: 1.73× the output per person | $10,383#125 of 184 · 2025 | $6,012#146 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthLaos: 6.5 points higher | +4.5%#55 of 187 · 2025 | −2.0%#182 of 187 · 2025 |
| Inflation | +7.7%#31 of 176 · 2025 | — |
| UnemploymentMyanmar: 2.5× the unemployment | 1.2%#171 of 178 · 2025 | 3.0%#138 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyMyanmar: 1.45× the share in extreme poverty | 7.1%#49 of 149 · 2024 | 10.3%#44 of 149 · 2017 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Laos: 4.0 higher | 34.7#73 of 149 · 2024 | 30.7#112 of 149 · 2017 |
| Jobs in agricultureLaos: 23.6 points higher | 68.6% of jobs#6 of 178 · 2025 | 45.0% of jobs#30 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryMyanmar: 10.8 points higher | 7.4% of jobs#169 of 178 · 2025 | 18.2% of jobs#102 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesMyanmar: 12.9 points higher | 24.0% of jobs#171 of 178 · 2025 | 36.9% of jobs#153 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentLaos: 6.4 points higher | 7.7% of GDP#23 of 184 · 2025 | 1.3% of GDP#117 of 184 · 2025 |
| Military spending | — | 6.6% of GDP#5 of 155 · 2024 |
| Internet usersLaos: 1.44× the share online | 66%#128 of 184 · 2024 | 45%#150 of 184 · 2020 |
| Mobile subscriptionsMyanmar: 1.75× the mobile subscriptions | 65 per 100#167 of 191 · 2023 | 114 per 100#99 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaLaos: 1.35× the forest share | 57% of land#36 of 192 · 2024 | 42% of land#62 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personLaos: 5.78× the CO₂ per person | 3.35 t a year#79 of 185 · 2024 | 0.58 t a year#145 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyMyanmar: 13.7 points higher | 49.2%#50 of 190 · 2022 | 62.9%#33 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityLaos: 16.1 points higher | 96.5%#124 of 192 · 2024 | 80.4%#147 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Myanmar: 1.35× the air pollution | 26.0 µg/m³#61 of 191 · 2023 | 35.1 µg/m³#34 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landLaos: 12.1 points higher | 18.8% of land#88 of 191 · 2025 | 6.7% of land#162 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landMyanmar: 11.6 points higher | 5.3% of land#127 of 190 · 2024 | 16.9% of land#63 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressMyanmar: 1.21× the water stress | 4.8%#120 of 176 · 2022 | 5.8%#113 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMyanmar: 1.14× the rain and snow | 1,834 mm#38 of 180 · 2022 | 2,091 mm#27 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityLaos: 2.67 higher | +0.55#65 of 193 · 2025 | −2.12#188 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionLaos: 0.32 higher | −0.99#155 of 193 · 2025 | −1.31#173 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 2.6 per 100,000#64 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | One-party statecommunist party-led state | Military or transitionalmilitary regime |
| Member of | ASEAN | ASEAN |
| Capital | Vientiane | Naypyidaw |
| Currency | Lao kip (LAK) | Kyat (MMK) |
| Official languages | Lao | Burmese |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+7 | UTC+6:30 |
| Calling code | +856 | +95 |
| 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. Laos sits at about 18° N and is stretched to 1.11× its true area; Myanmar at 21° N is stretched to 1.15×. 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 Laos bigger than Myanmar?
- No. Laos is 2.86 times smaller than Myanmar. Laos covers 236,800 km² and Myanmar covers 676,577 km².
- How many times does Laos fit into Myanmar?
- About 2.9 times: Myanmar has 2.86× the area of Laos.
- Why do Laos and Myanmar look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Laos is drawn about 1.11× its true area there and Myanmar about 1.15×. 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, Laos or Myanmar?
- Myanmar: 54,850,648 people against 7,873,046. Density: Laos 33 per km², Myanmar 81 per km².
- Which is richer, Laos or Myanmar?
- By gross national income per person, Laos: $2,150 against $1,320 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.63× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Laos or Myanmar?
- In Laos: life expectancy at birth is 69.2 years, against 67.1 — 2.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Laos and Myanmar have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Laos: one-party state; Myanmar: military or transitional.