LAK
…
USD
…
Land Area
United States of America
9,833,517 km²
Largest
Laos
236,800 km²
2.4% of largest
United States of America is 41.53× larger than Laos
Population
United States of America
LARGEST
341.78M
PEOPLE
Laos
2.3% OF LARGEST
7.87M
PEOPLE
United States of America has 43.41× the population of Laos
GDP
United States of America
LARGEST
$30.77T
Laos
0.1% OF LARGEST
$18.3B
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
United States of America
LARGEST
1.35M
TROOPS
Laos
2.2% OF LARGEST
29.1K
TROOPS
United States of America has 46.30× the active personnel of Laos
Air Force
United States of America
LARGEST
13.3K
AIRCRAFT
Laos
0.3% OF LARGEST
35
AIRCRAFT
United States of America has 380.00× the aircraft of Laos
Naval Assets
United States of America
Laos
Wealth
Gold Reserves
United States of America
LARGEST
8,133.5
Metric Tonnes
Laos
0.0% OF LARGEST
0.9
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
United States of America
LARGEST
$228B
Reserves · excl. gold
Laos
1.0% OF LARGEST
$2B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
United States of America
MOST
813
billionaires
Laos
—
Oil
Proven Reserves
United States of America
LARGEST
69
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
United States of America
NET EXPORTER
Production
20.0M b/d
Consumption
19.0M b/d
+1.0M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
Laos
$5.3B
Exports
$5.3B
Imports
$6.7B
Trade Balance
$-1.4B
Trade Deficit
United States of America
$3,193.5B
Exports
$3,193.5B
Imports
$4,103.1B
Trade Balance
$-909.6B
Trade Deficit
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
Laos
supply
United States of America
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
Laos
supply
United States of America
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
Laos
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
Laos
supply
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
Laos
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
Laos
United States of America
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
United States of America
1,233
Gold
1,013
Silver
889
Bronze
3,135
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 2,772
❄ Winter: 363
Laos
No Olympic medal data
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
Laos
United States of America
Age Demographics
Median Age
United States of America
38.8
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
United States of America is 13.6 years older (median) than Laos
Youth Population
Laos has the highest youth population at 58.3% (under 30)
Elderly Population
United States of America has the highest elderly population at 21.6% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
Laos
|
United States of America
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations | — |
186
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year | — |
66.5M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
0
|
411
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
0
|
16
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
4
|
26
|
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.
|
Laos
|
United States of America
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $3 | $20 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $12 | $80 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $250 | $1,950 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $150 | $1,500 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $35 | $175 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $25 | $68 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $0 | $85 |
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
USA
Laos
Physicians per 1,000
USA
Laos
Hospital beds per 1,000
USA
Laos
Diabetes prevalence
USA
Laos
Obesity prevalence
USA
Laos
Suicide rate per 100k
USA
Laos
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for Laos vs USA — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | Laos | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 7873046 | 341784857 |
| Area (sq km) | 236800 | 9833517 |
| Capital | Vientiane | Washington, D.C. |
| Official Language | Lao | English (de facto) |
| Currency | Lao Kip (LAK) | United States Dollar (USD) |
| Government Type | One-party socialist republic | Federal presidential constitutional republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | Laos | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 29,100 | 1,347,300 |
| Reserve Personnel | 100,000 | 799,500 |
| Total Military Personnel | 129,100 | 2,146,800 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $30,000,000 | $816,000,000,000 |
| Tanks | 130 | 6,612 |
| Armored Vehicles | 405 | 45,193 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 10 | 1,498 |
| Towed Artillery | 150 | 1,339 |
| Rocket Projectors | 32 | 1,366 |
Economy
| Metric | Laos | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $18,302,970,219 | $30,769,700,000,000 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $2,325 | $90,027 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 1.2% | 4.2% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 34.7 | 41.8 |
| Currency | Lao Kip (LAK) | United States Dollar (USD) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
United States of America is 41.5 times larger in area than Laos.
That's a massive difference!
United States of America has 43.4 times more people than Laos.
United States of America has the highest GDP per capita at $90,027 among the selected countries.
United States of America has the largest economy with a GDP of
$30.77 trillion.
United States of America has the largest active military personnel with 1,347,300 troops.
United States of America has the largest air force with 13,300 aircraft.
United States of America has the largest navy with 472 vessels.
USA Fact: The United States has more airports than any other country in the world, with over 13,000 airports.
Laos vs United States of America: Key Comparisons
Economy: United States of America's GDP of $30.8T is 1681.1x larger than Laos's $18B — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: United States of America's population of 342M is 43.4x larger than Laos's 8M.
Area: United States of America covers 9,833,517 km², making it 41.5x larger than Laos.
Military: United States of America fields 1.3Million active troops vs Laos's 29Thousand.
Trade: Laos has a trade deficit of $1B while United States of America has a trade deficit of $910B.
Life Expectancy: United States of America leads with a life expectancy of 79 years vs Laos's 69.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology