Laos is a country in Asia, in Southeast Asia, with about 7.87 million people (2025) and an area of 236,800 square kilometres. Its capital is Vientiane, and it shares land borders with 5 countries.
By Team Geography·Last reviewed
Flag of LaosLaos in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.
The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of Laos's 5, in full.
PLACELens 1 of 5
The only landlocked country in Southeast Asia
Laos is wedged between five neighbors, with no coastline. The Mekong River forms most of its western border with Thailand, and the Annamite Range runs along the east, separating it from Vietnam. Roughly 80% of the country is mountainous, and the population of 7.5 million clusters along the Mekong valley and the Vientiane plain. That landlocked, mountainous geography has kept Laos relatively isolated even as its neighbors industrialized.
More on Annamite Range
This mountain chain runs over 1,000 kilometers along the Laos-Vietnam border, forming a natural barrier that historically separated the Mekong world from the Vietnamese coastal lowlands. It remains one of Southeast Asia's most biodiverse regions, sheltering species found nowhere else.
4 more lenses on Laos in the app
STORY A Buddhist one-party state that rarely makes headlines
NOW The most bombed country in history is still dealing with the consequences
THREAD China is building a new Laos, connected by rail
NOW Mekong dams are rewriting the region's water politics
Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.
Compare Laos with another country
Opens the country comparison tool with population, area, income and more side by side, every figure dated.
Common questions
What is the capital of Laos?
The capital of Laos is Vientiane. Vientiane lies at about 18.0 degrees north and 102.6 degrees east. Laos is in Asia, in the region often called Southeast Asia. It is home to about 7.87 million people. The world capitals quiz on this site tests every capital, and the printable capitals sheets cover each continent.
What is the population of Laos?
About 7.87 million people live in Laos, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 102nd most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 236,800 square kilometres, that is about 33 people per square kilometre.
What countries border Laos?
Laos shares land borders with 5 countries: Cambodia, China, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. The map on this page outlines each of them around Laos. The count includes only borders on land, not neighbours across a sea or a lake. Borders here follow Natural Earth at the 1:50 million scale, with Crimea shown as part of Ukraine and Western Sahara as a separate territory.
How big is Laos?
Laos covers 236,800 square kilometres, or about 91,429 square miles. That makes it the 82nd largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 7.87 million gives a density of 33 people per square kilometre.
Laos is a country in Asia, in Southeast Asia, with about 7.87 million people (2025) and an area of 236,800 square kilometres. Its capital is Vientiane, and it shares land borders with 5 countries.
Capital
Vientiane
Continent
Asia
Region
Southeast Asia
Population
7,873,046 2025, World Bank. 102nd of 195.
Area
236,800 km² (91,429 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 82nd largest of 195.
Population density
33 people per km²
Land neighbours
5: Cambodia, China, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
Official name
Lao People's Democratic Republic
UN status
Member state
PLACE · from the Geography app
The only landlocked country in Southeast Asia
Laos is wedged between five neighbors, with no coastline. The Mekong River forms most of its western border with Thailand, and the Annamite Range runs along the east, separating it from Vietnam. Roughly 80% of the country is mountainous, and the population of 7.5 million clusters along the Mekong valley and the Vientiane plain. That landlocked, mountainous geography has kept Laos relatively isolated even as its neighbors industrialized.
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/laos/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
Geography · Country report
Laos
NameDate
Draw the flag
Colour Laos on the map, then fill in what you find.
Capital
Continent
Population
Area
Languages
Currency
Neighbours
Landmarks
Rivers or mountains
Three things I learned
1
2
3
One question I still have
?
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/laos/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
