Laos — World Gazetteer, 2005 edition
Laos had an estimated population of 5,612,274 in 2005, with 18 places recorded. Archived from the World Gazetteer, the reference work formerly published at this domain.
About these figures. This page is part of the restored World Gazetteer archive: the 2005 edition of Stefan Helders' reference work, which was published at this domain until 2013 and is preserved here. Figures are as of 2005 and are kept for citation continuity and historical comparison. Esta página conserva la edición de 2005 del World Gazetteer. Las cifras corresponden a 2005; para datos actuales, consulte las fuentes oficiales.
For current figures: Laos today — population now 7,974,017, against 5,612,274 in 2005.
| Source | 2005 | Now | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Gazetteer (the work cited) | 5,612,274 | — | — |
| UN World Population Prospects | 5,869,523 | 7,974,017 | +36% |
The two 2005 figures agree closely. Use the UN pair for a like-for-like change.
Cities and towns, 2005
| # | Place | Region | Population (2005) | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vientiane | Viangchan Prefecture | 196,731 | — |
| 2 | Pakxe | Champasak | 88,332 | — |
| 3 | Savannakhet | Savannakhet | 66,553 | 125,760 now |
| 4 | Luang Prabang | Luang Prabang | 47,378 | 55,027 now |
| 5 | Xam Nua | Houaphanh | 38,992 | 56,900 now |
| 6 | Xaignabury | Xaignabury | 31,123 | — |
| 7 | Thakek | Khammouane | 26,200 | — |
| 8 | Pakxan | Bolikhamsay | 21,967 | 21,967 now |
| 9 | Huayxay | Bokeo | 16,656 | — |
| 10 | Phongsaly | Phongsaly | 14,317 | — |
| 11 | Champasak | Champasak | 12,994 | 12,994 now |
| 12 | Phonhong | Viangchan Province | 10,112 | — |
| 13 | Saravan | Saravan | 5,521 | — |
| 14 | Pek | Xiang Khuang | 5,231 | — |
| 15 | Sekong | Sekong | 4,463 | — |
| 16 | Samakhixai | Attopu | 4,297 | — |
| 17 | Ban Nahin | Oudomxay | 3,466 | 3,466 now |
| 18 | Nam Tha | Luang Nam Tha | 3,225 | — |
The Today column links to our current page for the same place, where one matches by name and plausible size; the figure shown there is today's, never 2005's. A dash means no confident match, which is more honest than a guessed link.
Administrative divisions, 2005
| # | Name | Population (2005) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Savannakhet | 769,177 |
| 2 | Viangchan Prefecture | 646,807 |
| 3 | Xaignabury | 600,133 |
| 4 | Champasak | 584,234 |
| 5 | Luang Prabang | 387,161 |
| 6 | Saravan | 319,221 |
| 7 | Khammouane | 319,046 |
| 8 | Viangchan Province | 309,119 |
| 9 | Houaphanh | 286,383 |
| 10 | Oudomxay | 284,079 |
| 11 | Xiang Khuang | 225,048 |
| 12 | Bolikhamsay | 204,330 |
| 13 | Phongsaly | 163,440 |
| 14 | Bokeo | 150,193 |
| 15 | Luang Nam Tha | 118,134 |
| 16 | Attopu | 103,004 |
| 17 | Sekong | 80,883 |
| 18 | Xaisombun | 61,882 |
The complete dataset is available as a free CSV download, with attribution to Stefan Helders / World Gazetteer.