Laos vs Romania
Romania and Laos are almost exactly the same size.
LaosRomaniaLaos moved onto Romania · Equal-area projection
0.99×
Laos is 0.99× the area of Romania. Put the other way, Romania is 1.01× the size of Laos.
 Laos |  Romania | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 236,800 km²#82 of 194 | 238,397 km²#81 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationRomania: 2.42× the population | 7,873,046#103 of 194 · 2025 | 19,020,271#68 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityRomania: 2.4× the density | 33 / km²#146 of 194 | 80 / km²#104 of 194 |
| Urban populationRomania: 1.3× the urban share | 40%#149 of 192 · 2025 | 52%#129 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateLaos: 1.73× the births per woman | 2.40 per woman#77 of 192 · 2024 | 1.39 per woman#159 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthLaos: 1.49 points higher | +1.32%#74 of 192 · 2025 | −0.17%#169 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateLaos: 2.79× the birth rate | 20.9 per 1,000#64 of 192 · 2024 | 7.5 per 1,000#177 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateRomania: 2.06× the death rate | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 | 12.8 per 1,000#13 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Laos: 14.2 points higher | 29.8%#70 of 192 · 2025 | 15.6%#155 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Romania: 15.3 points higher | 4.8%#127 of 192 · 2025 | 20.1%#32 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationLaos: 0.1 per 1,000 higher | −1.4 per 1,000#126 of 192 · 2025 | −1.5 per 1,000#128 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadLaos: 5.13× the refugees for its size | 0.82 per 1,000#64 of 190 · 2025 | 0.16 per 1,000#109 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyRomania: 7.3 years longer | 69.2 years#136 of 192 · 2024 | 76.5 years#72 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityLaos: 4.53× the infant mortality | 27.2 per 1,000 births#53 of 191 · 2024 | 6.0 per 1,000 births#137 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsRomania: 11× the doctors per person | 0.33 per 1,000#135 of 178 · 2022 | 3.63 per 1,000#40 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentRomania: 3.7× the university enrolment | 14.9%#122 of 145 · 2023 | 55.2%#64 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexRomania: 0.228 higher | 0.617#144 of 190 · 2023 | 0.845#54 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaRomania: 9.39× the income per person | $2,150#147 of 185 · 2025 | $20,190#53 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPRomania: 23.4× the economy | $18.3B2025 | $428.68B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Romania: 4.9× the output per person | $10,383#125 of 184 · 2025 | $50,895#43 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthLaos: 3.8 points higher | +4.5%#55 of 187 · 2025 | +0.7%#162 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationLaos: 0.5 points higher | +7.7%#31 of 176 · 2025 | +7.2%#33 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentRomania: 5.0× the unemployment | 1.2%#171 of 178 · 2025 | 6.0%#71 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyLaos: 10.1× the share in extreme poverty | 7.1%#49 of 149 · 2024 | 0.7%#98 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Laos: 4.9 higher | 34.7#73 of 149 · 2024 | 29.8#121 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureLaos: 57.7 points higher | 68.6% of jobs#6 of 178 · 2025 | 10.9% of jobs#107 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryRomania: 25.2 points higher | 7.4% of jobs#169 of 178 · 2025 | 32.6% of jobs#10 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesRomania: 32.5 points higher | 24.0% of jobs#171 of 178 · 2025 | 56.5% of jobs#95 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentLaos: 5.5 points higher | 7.7% of GDP#23 of 184 · 2025 | 2.2% of GDP#88 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | — | 35.5% of GDP#83 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | — | 2.3% of GDP#48 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersRomania: 1.39× the share online | 66%#128 of 184 · 2024 | 91%#47 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsRomania: 1.85× the mobile subscriptions | 65 per 100#167 of 191 · 2023 | 120 per 100#82 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaLaos: 1.87× the forest share | 57% of land#36 of 192 · 2024 | 30% of land#102 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personRomania: 1.11× the CO₂ per person | 3.35 t a year#79 of 185 · 2024 | 3.72 t a year#69 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyLaos: 25.6 points higher | 49.2%#50 of 190 · 2022 | 23.6%#97 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityRomania: 3.5 points higher | 96.5%#124 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Laos: 1.63× the air pollution | 26.0 µg/m³#61 of 191 · 2023 | 16.0 µg/m³#108 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landRomania: 5.8 points higher | 18.8% of land#88 of 191 · 2025 | 24.6% of land#52 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landRomania: 31.1 points higher | 5.3% of land#127 of 190 · 2024 | 36.4% of land#18 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressRomania: 1.58× the water stress | 4.8%#120 of 176 · 2022 | 7.6%#103 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationLaos: 2.88× the rain and snow | 1,834 mm#38 of 180 · 2022 | 637 mm#123 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityLaos: 0.34 higher | +0.55#65 of 193 · 2025 | +0.21#85 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionRomania: 0.99 higher | −0.99#155 of 193 · 2025 | 0.00#82 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | One-party statecommunist party-led state | Semi-presidential republic |
| Member of | ASEAN | EU, NATO, Schengen Area |
| Capital | Vientiane | Bucharest |
| Currency | Lao kip (LAK) | Romanian leu (RON) |
| Official languages | Lao | Romanian |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+7 | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +856 | +40 |
| Region | South-Eastern Asia, Asia | Eastern Europe, Europe |
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; Romania at 46° N is stretched to 2.06×. That difference is why Romania looks so much bigger than it is next to Laos. 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 Romania?
- No. Laos and Romania are almost exactly the same size. Laos covers 236,800 km² and Romania covers 238,397 km².
- How many times does Laos fit into Romania?
- About 1.0 times: Romania has 1.01× the area of Laos.
- Why do Laos and Romania 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 Romania about 2.06×. That is why Romania looks so much bigger than it really is next to Laos. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Laos or Romania?
- Romania: 19,020,271 people against 7,873,046. Density: Laos 33 per km², Romania 80 per km².
- Which is richer, Laos or Romania?
- By gross national income per person, Romania: $20,190 against $2,150 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 9.39× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Laos or Romania?
- In Romania: life expectancy at birth is 76.5 years, against 69.2 — 7.3 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Laos and Romania have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Laos: one-party state; Romania: semi-presidential republic.