Land use in Laos
Laos: Land use was 1.61 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
1.61 million hectares
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
100th
of 224 countries
All-time high
1.75 million hectares
in 2016
All-time low
650,000 hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Laos, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for land use in Laos is 1.61 million hectares, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and down 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Laos peaked at 1.75 million hectares in 2016 and was at its lowest, 650,000 hectares, in 1961.
Laos ranks 100th of 224 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Laos, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 650,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 650,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 650,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 650,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 650,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 660,000 hectares | +1.5% |
| 1967 | 660,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 670,000 hectares | +1.5% |
| 1969 | 672,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1970 | 677,000 hectares | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 682,000 hectares | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 712,000 hectares | +4.4% |
| 1973 | 732,000 hectares | +2.8% |
| 1974 | 755,000 hectares | +3.1% |
| 1975 | 768,000 hectares | +1.7% |
| 1976 | 780,000 hectares | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 790,000 hectares | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 798,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 805,000 hectares | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 806,000 hectares | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 809,000 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 817,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 820,000 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 830,000 hectares | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 835,000 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 838,000 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 840,000 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 850,000 hectares | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 852,000 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 860,000 hectares | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 862,000 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 864,000 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 865,000 hectares | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 890,000 hectares | +2.9% |
| 1995 | 900,000 hectares | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 900,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 930,000 hectares | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 940,000 hectares | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 958,000 hectares | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 1.00 million hectares | +4.5% |
| 2001 | 1.05 million hectares | +5.0% |
| 2002 | 1.10 million hectares | +4.3% |
| 2003 | 1.14 million hectares | +4.1% |
| 2004 | 1.19 million hectares | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 1.24 million hectares | +4.1% |
| 2006 | 1.29 million hectares | +4.5% |
| 2007 | 1.34 million hectares | +3.7% |
| 2008 | 1.39 million hectares | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 1.47 million hectares | +5.7% |
| 2010 | 1.50 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 1.54 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 1.58 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 1.67 million hectares | +5.5% |
| 2014 | 1.71 million hectares | +2.7% |
| 2015 | 1.74 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 1.75 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 1.68 million hectares | -3.8% |
| 2018 | 1.64 million hectares | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 1.59 million hectares | -3.5% |
| 2020 | 1.53 million hectares | -3.5% |
| 2021 | 1.53 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 1.58 million hectares | +3.2% |
| 2023 | 1.61 million hectares | +1.7% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 1.61 million hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.82 million hectares, 57% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Laos's 1.61 million hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 141,800 hectares, 11.4× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 656,889 hectares | 650,000 hectares | 672,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 749,900 hectares | 677,000 hectares | 805,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 829,700 hectares | 806,000 hectares | 852,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 896,900 hectares | 860,000 hectares | 958,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.22 million hectares | 1.00 million hectares | 1.47 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.64 million hectares | 1.50 million hectares | 1.75 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.56 million hectares | 1.53 million hectares | 1.61 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Laos
- 97 Burundi 1.67 million hectares compare
- 98 Turkmenistan 1.63 million hectares compare
- 99 Honduras 1.62 million hectares compare
- 101 Dominican Republic 1.52 million hectares compare
- 102 South Korea 1.51 million hectares compare
- 103 Rwanda 1.50 million hectares compare
More environment data for Laos
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.77 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.9142 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 0.4183 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit of 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Laos?
- Land use in Laos was 1.61 million hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 1.75 million hectares in 2016.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 650,000 hectares in 1961.
- How does Laos rank for land use?
- Laos ranks 100th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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