Laos vs Vietnam
Vietnam is 40% larger than Laos.
LaosVietnamLaos moved onto Vietnam · Equal-area projection
0.71×
Laos is 0.71× the area of Vietnam. Put the other way, Vietnam is 1.4× the size of Laos.
 Laos |  Vietnam | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaVietnam: 1.4× the area | 236,800 km²#82 of 194 | 331,690 km²#67 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationVietnam: 12.9× the population | 7,873,046#103 of 194 · 2025 | 101,598,527#16 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityVietnam: 9.21× the density | 33 / km²#146 of 194 | 306 / km²#27 of 194 |
| Urban populationLaos: 1.04× the urban share | 40%#149 of 192 · 2025 | 39%#152 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateLaos: 1.26× the births per woman | 2.40 per woman#77 of 192 · 2024 | 1.90 per woman#100 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthLaos: 0.72 points higher | +1.32%#74 of 192 · 2025 | +0.60%#120 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateLaos: 1.56× the birth rate | 20.9 per 1,000#64 of 192 · 2024 | 13.4 per 1,000#102 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateVietnam: 1.06× the death rate | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 | 6.6 per 1,000#117 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Laos: 6.9 points higher | 29.8%#70 of 192 · 2025 | 22.9%#104 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Vietnam: 4.7 points higher | 4.8%#127 of 192 · 2025 | 9.5%#82 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationVietnam: 0.9 per 1,000 higher | −1.4 per 1,000#126 of 192 · 2025 | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadLaos: 4.1× the refugees for its size | 0.82 per 1,000#64 of 190 · 2025 | 0.20 per 1,000#102 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyVietnam: 5.5 years longer | 69.2 years#136 of 192 · 2024 | 74.7 years#87 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityLaos: 2.27× the infant mortality | 27.2 per 1,000 births#53 of 191 · 2024 | 12.0 per 1,000 births#100 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsVietnam: 3.36× the doctors per person | 0.33 per 1,000#135 of 178 · 2022 | 1.11 per 1,000#105 of 178 · 2021 |
| University enrolmentVietnam: 2.52× the university enrolment | 14.9%#122 of 145 · 2023 | 37.6%#95 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexVietnam: 0.149 higher | 0.617#144 of 190 · 2023 | 0.766#92 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaVietnam: 2.31× the income per person | $2,150#147 of 185 · 2025 | $4,970#114 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPVietnam: 28.1× the economy | $18.3B2025 | $514.7B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Vietnam: 1.74× the output per person | $10,383#125 of 184 · 2025 | $18,088#100 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthVietnam: 3.5 points higher | +4.5%#55 of 187 · 2025 | +8.0%#11 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationLaos: 4.4 points higher | +7.7%#31 of 176 · 2025 | +3.3%#81 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentVietnam: 1.25× the unemployment | 1.2%#171 of 178 · 2025 | 1.5%#168 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyLaos: 4.44× the share in extreme poverty | 7.1%#49 of 149 · 2024 | 1.6%#77 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Vietnam: 1.4 higher | 34.7#73 of 149 · 2024 | 36.1#61 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureLaos: 43.6 points higher | 68.6% of jobs#6 of 178 · 2025 | 25.0% of jobs#73 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryVietnam: 27.4 points higher | 7.4% of jobs#169 of 178 · 2025 | 34.8% of jobs#5 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesVietnam: 16.1 points higher | 24.0% of jobs#171 of 178 · 2025 | 40.1% of jobs#147 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentLaos: 3.4 points higher | 7.7% of GDP#23 of 184 · 2025 | 4.3% of GDP#43 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | — | 98.2% of GDP#8 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | — | 2.1% of GDP#53 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersVietnam: 1.28× the share online | 66%#128 of 184 · 2024 | 84%#81 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsVietnam: 1.97× the mobile subscriptions | 65 per 100#167 of 191 · 2023 | 128 per 100#58 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaLaos: 1.2× the forest share | 57% of land#36 of 192 · 2024 | 47% of land#53 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personVietnam: 1.27× the CO₂ per person | 3.35 t a year#79 of 185 · 2024 | 4.27 t a year#56 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyLaos: 25.0 points higher | 49.2%#50 of 190 · 2022 | 24.2%#94 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityVietnam: 3.5 points higher | 96.5%#124 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Laos: 1.05× the air pollution | 26.0 µg/m³#61 of 191 · 2023 | 24.8 µg/m³#62 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landLaos: 11.2 points higher | 18.8% of land#88 of 191 · 2025 | 7.6% of land#157 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landVietnam: 16.2 points higher | 5.3% of land#127 of 190 · 2024 | 21.5% of land#51 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressVietnam: 3.77× the water stress | 4.8%#120 of 176 · 2022 | 18.1%#70 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationAbout the same rain and snow | 1,834 mm#38 of 180 · 2022 | 1,821 mm#40 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityLaos: 0.43 higher | +0.55#65 of 193 · 2025 | +0.12#93 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionVietnam: 0.88 higher | −0.99#155 of 193 · 2025 | −0.11#85 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | One-party statecommunist party-led state | One-party statecommunist party-led state |
| Member of | ASEAN | ASEAN |
| Capital | Vientiane | Hanoi |
| Currency | Lao kip (LAK) | Vietnamese đồng (VND) |
| Official languages | Lao | Vietnamese |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+7 | UTC+7 |
| Calling code | +856 | +84 |
| 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; Vietnam at 17° N is stretched to 1.09×. 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 Vietnam?
- No. Laos is 29% smaller than Vietnam. Laos covers 236,800 km² and Vietnam covers 331,690 km².
- How many times does Laos fit into Vietnam?
- About 1.4 times: Vietnam has 1.4× the area of Laos.
- Why do Laos and Vietnam 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 Vietnam about 1.09×. 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 Vietnam?
- Vietnam: 101,598,527 people against 7,873,046. Density: Laos 33 per km², Vietnam 306 per km².
- Which is richer, Laos or Vietnam?
- By gross national income per person, Vietnam: $4,970 against $2,150 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.31× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Laos or Vietnam?
- In Vietnam: life expectancy at birth is 74.7 years, against 69.2 — 5.5 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Laos and Vietnam have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: one-party state (CIA World Factbook).