Laos
Lao People's Democratic Republic is a country in South-Eastern Asia, covered by the Atlas as part of Southeast Asia & Oceania. It is home to about 7.2 m people. Its Human Development Index of 0.617 ranks it 147 of 193 countries (2023). Its political system is classified as closed autocracy.
- Political regime
- Closed autocracy
- All countries · 2025
V-Dem (Regimes of the World), via Our World in Data
Regional profile
Southeast Asia & Oceania
Laos is part of Southeast Asia & Oceania. Our editors write about the region as a whole — its story, topics and sources below cover all its countries.
View the whole region →An archipelagic world of trade routes, hedging diplomacy and climate exposure. Southeast Asia is growing fast and industrialising as supply chains diversify out of China, while the Pacific island states negotiate their sovereignty between great powers and rising seas. Australia and New Zealand anchor the region's wealthy, resource-heavy south.
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