Laos vs Thailand
Thailand is 2.17 times larger than Laos. Laos would fit into Thailand about 2.2 times.
LaosThailandLaos moved onto Thailand · Equal-area projection
0.46×
Laos is 0.46× the area of Thailand. Put the other way, Thailand is 2.17× the size of Laos.
 Laos |  Thailand | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaThailand: 2.17× the area | 236,800 km²#82 of 194 | 513,120 km²#49 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationThailand: 9.1× the population | 7,873,046#103 of 194 · 2025 | 71,619,863#20 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityThailand: 4.2× the density | 33 / km²#146 of 194 | 140 / km²#64 of 194 |
| Urban populationThailand: 1.56× the urban share | 40%#149 of 192 · 2025 | 63%#99 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateLaos: 2.0× the births per woman | 2.40 per woman#77 of 192 · 2024 | 1.20 per woman#178 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthLaos: 1.39 points higher | +1.32%#74 of 192 · 2025 | −0.07%#161 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateLaos: 2.58× the birth rate | 20.9 per 1,000#64 of 192 · 2024 | 8.1 per 1,000#169 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateThailand: 1.45× the death rate | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 | 9.0 per 1,000#52 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Laos: 15.4 points higher | 29.8%#70 of 192 · 2025 | 14.4%#171 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Thailand: 11.2 points higher | 4.8%#127 of 192 · 2025 | 16.0%#51 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationThailand: 1.8 per 1,000 higher | −1.4 per 1,000#126 of 192 · 2025 | +0.4 per 1,000#60 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 0.82 per 1,000#64 of 190 · 2025 | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyThailand: 7.4 years longer | 69.2 years#136 of 192 · 2024 | 76.6 years#70 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityLaos: 3.53× the infant mortality | 27.2 per 1,000 births#53 of 191 · 2024 | 7.7 per 1,000 births#126 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsThailand: 1.64× the doctors per person | 0.33 per 1,000#135 of 178 · 2022 | 0.54 per 1,000#126 of 178 · 2021 |
| University enrolmentThailand: 3.3× the university enrolment | 14.9%#122 of 145 · 2023 | 49.1%#76 of 145 · 2025 |
| Human Development IndexThailand: 0.181 higher | 0.617#144 of 190 · 2023 | 0.798#75 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaThailand: 3.58× the income per person | $2,150#147 of 185 · 2025 | $7,690#91 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPThailand: 31.5× the economy | $18.3B2025 | $577.01B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Thailand: 2.53× the output per person | $10,383#125 of 184 · 2025 | $26,250#75 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthLaos: 2.1 points higher | +4.5%#55 of 187 · 2025 | +2.4%#121 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationLaos: 7.8 points higher | +7.7%#31 of 176 · 2025 | −0.1%#164 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentLaos: 1.5× the unemployment | 1.2%#171 of 178 · 2025 | 0.8%#175 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 7.1%#49 of 149 · 2024 | 0.0%#136 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Laos: 1.4 higher | 34.7#73 of 149 · 2024 | 33.3#93 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureLaos: 40.0 points higher | 68.6% of jobs#6 of 178 · 2025 | 28.6% of jobs#64 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryThailand: 14.8 points higher | 7.4% of jobs#169 of 178 · 2025 | 22.2% of jobs#63 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesThailand: 25.2 points higher | 24.0% of jobs#171 of 178 · 2025 | 49.2% of jobs#125 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentLaos: 4.5 points higher | 7.7% of GDP#23 of 184 · 2025 | 3.2% of GDP#61 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | — | 71.1% of GDP#23 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | — | 1.0% of GDP#111 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersThailand: 1.39× the share online | 66%#128 of 184 · 2024 | 91%#51 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsThailand: 2.48× the mobile subscriptions | 65 per 100#167 of 191 · 2023 | 161 per 100#18 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaLaos: 1.46× the forest share | 57% of land#36 of 192 · 2024 | 39% of land#71 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personThailand: 1.18× the CO₂ per person | 3.35 t a year#79 of 185 · 2024 | 3.96 t a year#64 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyLaos: 30.2 points higher | 49.2%#50 of 190 · 2022 | 19.0%#110 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThailand: 3.5 points higher | 96.5%#124 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Laos: 1.11× the air pollution | 26.0 µg/m³#61 of 191 · 2023 | 23.5 µg/m³#66 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landLaos: 0.4 points higher | 18.8% of land#88 of 191 · 2025 | 18.4% of land#91 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landThailand: 25.5 points higher | 5.3% of land#127 of 190 · 2024 | 30.8% of land#27 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressThailand: 4.79× the water stress | 4.8%#120 of 176 · 2022 | 23.0%#63 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationLaos: 1.13× the rain and snow | 1,834 mm#38 of 180 · 2022 | 1,622 mm#50 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityLaos: 1.11 higher | +0.55#65 of 193 · 2025 | −0.56#146 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionThailand: 0.49 higher | −0.99#155 of 193 · 2025 | −0.50#118 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | One-party statecommunist party-led state | Constitutional monarchy |
| Member of | ASEAN | ASEAN |
| Capital | Vientiane | Bangkok |
| Currency | Lao kip (LAK) | Thai baht (THB) |
| Official languages | Lao | Thai |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+7 | UTC+7 |
| Calling code | +856 | +66 |
| 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; Thailand at 15° N is stretched to 1.07×. 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 Thailand?
- No. Laos is 2.17 times smaller than Thailand. Laos covers 236,800 km² and Thailand covers 513,120 km².
- How many times does Laos fit into Thailand?
- About 2.2 times: Thailand has 2.17× the area of Laos.
- Why do Laos and Thailand 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 Thailand about 1.07×. 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 Thailand?
- Thailand: 71,619,863 people against 7,873,046. Density: Laos 33 per km², Thailand 140 per km².
- Which is richer, Laos or Thailand?
- By gross national income per person, Thailand: $7,690 against $2,150 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 3.58× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Laos or Thailand?
- In Thailand: life expectancy at birth is 76.6 years, against 69.2 — 7.4 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Laos and Thailand have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Laos: one-party state; Thailand: constitutional monarchy.