CNY
…
LAK
…
Land Area
China
9,596,961 km²
Largest
Laos
236,800 km²
2.5% of largest
China is 40.53× larger than Laos
Population
China
LARGEST
1.41B
PEOPLE
Laos
0.6% OF LARGEST
7.87M
PEOPLE
China has 178.66× the population of Laos
GDP
China
LARGEST
$19.5T
Laos
0.1% OF LARGEST
$18.3B
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
China
LARGEST
2.04M
TROOPS
Laos
1.4% OF LARGEST
29.1K
TROOPS
China has 69.93× the active personnel of Laos
Air Force
China
LARGEST
3.29K
AIRCRAFT
Laos
1.1% OF LARGEST
35
AIRCRAFT
China has 93.86× the aircraft of Laos
Naval Assets
China
Laos
Wealth
Gold Reserves
China
LARGEST
2,279.6
Metric Tonnes
Laos
0.0% OF LARGEST
0.9
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
China
LARGEST
$3.27T
Reserves · excl. gold
Laos
0.1% OF LARGEST
$2B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
China
MOST
473
billionaires
Laos
—
Oil
Proven Reserves
China
LARGEST
26
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
China
NET IMPORTER
Production
4.1M b/d
Consumption
15.4M b/d
−11.3M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
China
$3,753.1B
Exports
$3,753.1B
Imports
$3,219.3B
Trade Balance
+$533.7B
Trade Surplus
Laos
$5.3B
Exports
$5.3B
Imports
$6.7B
Trade Balance
$-1.4B
Trade Deficit
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
Laos
supply
China
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
China
consumption
Laos
supply
Beer
litres / person / yr
Laos
consumption
China
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
China
consumption
Laos
supply
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
Laos
consumption
China
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
Laos
China
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
China
330
Gold
262
Silver
227
Bronze
819
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 727
❄ Winter: 92
Laos
No Olympic medal data
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
China
Laos
Age Demographics
Median Age
China
39.0
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Laos
25.2
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
China is 13.8 years older (median) than Laos
Youth Population
Laos has the highest youth population at 58.3% (under 30)
Elderly Population
China has the highest elderly population at 19.0% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
China
|
Laos
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
85
|
— |
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
65.7M
|
— |
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
8
|
0
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
12
|
0
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
56
|
4
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
China
|
Laos
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $5 | $3 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $25 | $12 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $600 | $250 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $380 | $150 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $50 | $35 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $20 | $25 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $30 | $0 |
Health
Healthcare spending, capacity and outcomes. Sources: World Bank / WHO — the year tag shows each figure’s vintage; “—” means the country doesn’t report that metric.
Health spending / person
China
Laos
Physicians per 1,000
China
Laos
Hospital beds per 1,000
China
Laos
Diabetes prevalence
China
Laos
Obesity prevalence
China
Laos
Suicide rate per 100k
China
Laos
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for China vs Laos — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | China | Laos |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1406585000 | 7873046 |
| Area (sq km) | 9596961 | 236800 |
| Capital | Beijing | Vientiane |
| Official Language | Mandarin Chinese | Lao |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Lao Kip (LAK) |
| Government Type | Unitary one-party socialist republic | One-party socialist republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | China | Laos |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 2,035,000 | 29,100 |
| Reserve Personnel | 510,000 | 100,000 |
| Total Military Personnel | 2,545,000 | 129,100 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $292,000,000,000 | $30,000,000 |
| Tanks | 5,651 | 130 |
| Armored Vehicles | 35,000 | 405 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 4,120 | 10 |
| Towed Artillery | 6,246 | 150 |
| Rocket Projectors | 2,430 | 32 |
Economy
| Metric | China | Laos |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $19,498,039,388,043 | $18,302,970,219 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $13,862 | $2,325 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 4.6% | 1.2% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 36.0 | 34.7 |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Lao Kip (LAK) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
China is 40.5 times larger in area than Laos.
That's a massive difference!
China has 178.7 times more people than Laos.
With over a billion people, that's more than 1/8 of humanity!
China has the highest GDP per capita at $13,862 among the selected countries.
China has the largest economy with a GDP of
$19.5 trillion.
China has the largest active military personnel with 2,035,000 troops.
China has the largest air force with 3,285 aircraft.
China has the largest navy with 777 vessels.
China Fact: China produces more than 1.4 billion tons of rice annually, feeding nearly 20% of the world's population.
China vs Laos: Key Comparisons
Economy: China's GDP of $19.5T is 1065.3x larger than Laos's $18B — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: China's population of 1.4B is 178.7x larger than Laos's 8M.
Area: China covers 9,596,961 km², making it 40.5x larger than Laos.
Military: China fields 2Million active troops vs Laos's 29Thousand.
Trade: China runs a trade surplus of $534B while Laos has a trade deficit of $1B.
Life Expectancy: China leads with a life expectancy of 78 years vs Laos's 69.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology