Population: 5,407,453 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 45% (male 1,235,797; female 1,203,520)
15-64 years: 52% (male 1,360,991; female 1,434,378)
65 years and over: 3% (male 78,195; female 94,572) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.74% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 39.93 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 12.56 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 89.32 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 54.21 years
male: 52.63 years
female: 55.87 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.55 children born/woman (1999 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%

Languages: Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 60%
male: 70%
female: 48% (1998 est.)