Laos vs United States
United States is 41.5 times larger than Laos. Laos would fit into United States about 41 times.
LaosUnited StatesLaos moved onto United States · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.02×
Laos is 0.02× the area of United States. Put the other way, United States is 41.5× the size of Laos.
 Laos |  United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaUnited States: 41.5× the area | 236,800 km²#82 of 194 | 9,826,675 km²#3 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationUnited States: 43.4× the population | 7,873,046#103 of 194 · 2025 | 341,784,857#3 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityUnited States: 1.05× the density | 33 / km²#146 of 194 | 35 / km²#145 of 194 |
| Urban populationUnited States: 1.99× the urban share | 40%#149 of 192 · 2025 | 80%#41 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateLaos: 1.47× the births per woman | 2.40 per woman#77 of 192 · 2024 | 1.63 per woman#121 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthLaos: 0.80 points higher | +1.32%#74 of 192 · 2025 | +0.52%#125 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateLaos: 1.97× the birth rate | 20.9 per 1,000#64 of 192 · 2024 | 10.6 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateUnited States: 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: 12.7 points higher | 29.8%#70 of 192 · 2025 | 17.1%#140 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65United States: 13.6 points higher | 4.8%#127 of 192 · 2025 | 18.4%#38 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationUnited States: 5.0 per 1,000 higher | −1.4 per 1,000#126 of 192 · 2025 | +3.6 per 1,000#26 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadLaos: 82× the refugees for its size | 0.82 per 1,000#64 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyUnited States: 9.7 years longer | 69.2 years#136 of 192 · 2024 | 78.9 years#46 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityLaos: 4.95× the infant mortality | 27.2 per 1,000 births#53 of 191 · 2024 | 5.5 per 1,000 births#139 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsUnited States: 11.2× the doctors per person | 0.33 per 1,000#135 of 178 · 2022 | 3.68 per 1,000#39 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentUnited States: 5.33× the university enrolment | 14.9%#122 of 145 · 2023 | 79.4%#27 of 145 · 2022 |
| Human Development IndexUnited States: 0.321 higher | 0.617#144 of 190 · 2023 | 0.938#16 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaUnited States: 41.3× the income per person | $2,150#147 of 185 · 2025 | $88,810#5 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPUnited States: 1,681× the economy | $18.3B2025 | $30.77T2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)United States: 8.67× the output per person | $10,383#125 of 184 · 2025 | $90,027#9 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthLaos: 2.3 points higher | +4.5%#55 of 187 · 2025 | +2.2%#126 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationLaos: 4.8 points higher | +7.7%#31 of 176 · 2025 | +2.9%#92 of 176 · 2024 |
| UnemploymentUnited States: 3.5× the unemployment | 1.2%#171 of 178 · 2025 | 4.2%#110 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyLaos: 6.45× the share in extreme poverty | 7.1%#49 of 149 · 2024 | 1.1%#82 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini)United States: 7.1 higher | 34.7#73 of 149 · 2024 | 41.8#30 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureLaos: 67.1 points higher | 68.6% of jobs#6 of 178 · 2025 | 1.5% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryUnited States: 11.5 points higher | 7.4% of jobs#169 of 178 · 2025 | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesUnited States: 55.6 points higher | 24.0% of jobs#171 of 178 · 2025 | 79.6% of jobs#16 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentLaos: 6.7 points higher | 7.7% of GDP#23 of 184 · 2025 | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | — | 11.0% of GDP#159 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spending | — | 3.1% of GDP#27 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersUnited States: 1.44× the share online | 66%#128 of 184 · 2024 | 95%#27 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsUnited States: 1.74× the mobile subscriptions | 65 per 100#167 of 191 · 2023 | 113 per 100#102 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaLaos: 1.67× the forest share | 57% of land#36 of 192 · 2024 | 34% of land#92 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personUnited States: 4.07× the CO₂ per person | 3.35 t a year#79 of 185 · 2024 | 13.6 t a year#13 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyLaos: 38.3 points higher | 49.2%#50 of 190 · 2022 | 10.9%#139 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityUnited States: 3.5 points higher | 96.5%#124 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Laos: 3.71× the air pollution | 26.0 µg/m³#61 of 191 · 2023 | 7.0 µg/m³#173 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landLaos: 5.9 points higher | 18.8% of land#88 of 191 · 2025 | 12.9% of land#131 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landUnited States: 11.3 points higher | 5.3% of land#127 of 190 · 2024 | 16.6% of land#64 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressUnited States: 5.88× the water stress | 4.8%#120 of 176 · 2022 | 28.2%#57 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationLaos: 2.57× the rain and snow | 1,834 mm#38 of 180 · 2022 | 715 mm#111 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityLaos: 0.85 higher | +0.55#65 of 193 · 2025 | −0.30#122 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionUnited States: 1.86 higher | −0.99#155 of 193 · 2025 | +0.87#39 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 5.8 per 100,000#46 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | One-party statecommunist party-led state | Presidential republicconstitutional federal republic |
| Member of | ASEAN | NATO, OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Vientiane | Washington D.C. |
| Currency | Lao kip (LAK) | United States dollar (USD) |
| Official languages | Lao | English |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+7 | UTC−5, summer time UTC−4 · UTC−10 to UTC−5, 6 time zones |
| Calling code | +856 | +1 |
| Region | South-Eastern Asia, Asia | Northern America, North America |
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; United States at 45° N is stretched to 1.98×. That difference is why United States 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 United States?
- No. Laos is 41.5 times smaller than United States. Laos covers 236,800 km² and United States covers 9,826,675 km².
- How many times does Laos fit into United States?
- About 41 times: United States has 41.5× the area of Laos.
- Why do Laos and United States 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 United States about 1.98×. That is why United States 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 United States?
- United States: 341,784,857 people against 7,873,046. Density: Laos 33 per km², United States 35 per km².
- Which is richer, Laos or United States?
- By gross national income per person, United States: $88,810 against $2,150 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 41.3× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Laos or United States?
- In United States: life expectancy at birth is 78.9 years, against 69.2 — 9.7 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Laos and United States have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Laos: one-party state; United States: presidential republic.