VIENTIANE: The government Tuesday (Oct 20) officially released the results of the 2025 Population and Housing Census (PHC), showing the working-age population of the country has expanded to 65.0 per cent. This structural shift presents a significant demographic window of opportunity to boost economic growth.
A ceremony to announce the results of the census was held at the National Convention Centre in Vientiane, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Santiphab Phomvihane, who is also Chairperson of the National Steering Committee for the 2025 PHC.
More than 300 representatives from government ministries, local authorities, United Nations agencies, development partners, diplomatic missions, the private sector, and civil society attended the event.
Addressing the gathering, Santiphab urged relevant stakeholders to make extensive use of the census data as an evidence base to inform monitoring and implementation of the 10th National Socio-economic Development Plan, sectoral policies, budget allocation and financing for infrastructure, education, public health, and poverty reduction.
Deputy Minister of Finance and Head of the Lao Statistics Bureau, Phetsamone Sone, presented an overview of the key findings on behalf of the National Steering Committee, highlighting key demographic shifts.
According to the key findings, the census recorded an enumerated population of 6.74 million persons in the Laos. Taking into consideration the 7.0 per cent net undercoverage rate—identified as the result of the Post-Enumeration Survey (PES)—the true population of Laos is estimated at 7.24 million.
When including the 313,766 Lao citizens living abroad since 2015 (emigrants), the combined resident and non-resident population reaches an estimated 7.55 million persons.
The census report also shows that the working-age population (15-64 years) has expanded to 65.0 per cent, leading to a notable reduction in the dependency ratio.
In terms of education, the overall literacy rate for individuals aged six and above has risen to 83.6 per cent.
UNFPA Representative Dr Bakhtiyor Kadyrov commended the government on this major milestone and emphasised the importance of data utilisation, saying “Counting people is only the first step—the real benefit of the census lies in using those data to design relevant policies so every community can thrive and no one is left behind."
UNFPA will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with its partners to ensure the data are widely used to drive Lao PDR’s sustainable development, he pledged. - Vientiane Times/ANN
