Population:
5,921,545 (July 2003 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 42.2% (male 1,255,172; female 1,242,823)
15-64 years: 54.6% (male 1,592,697; female 1,639,431)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 87,192; female 104,230) (2003 est.)
Median age:
total: 18.5 years
male: 18.1 years
female: 18.9 years (2002)
Population growth rate:
2.45% (2003 est.)
Birth rate:
36.93 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate:
12.39 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 88.94 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 78.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 99.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 54.3 years
male: 52.34 years
female: 56.33 years (2003 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.94 children born/woman (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1,400 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 150 (2001 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)
adjective: Lao or Laotian
Ethnic groups:
Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung
(highland) including the Hmong ("Meo") and the Yao (Mien) 9%, ethnic
Vietnamese/Chinese 1%
Religions:
Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian
denominations 1.5%)
Languages:
Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 52.8%
male: 67.5%
female: 38.1% (2003 est.)