Laos is a country in which more than half of the population is made up of ethnic Lao people. The Lao are the principal lowland inhabitants and are considered the dominant people of Laos from a cultural and political perspective. They belong to the Tai linguistic group and began migrating south from China in the first millennium CE.
In the central and southern mountains, there are Mon-Khmer-speaking groups known as Lao Theung or mid-slope Laotians. These groups are predominantly Khmu, Khamu (Kammu), or Kha, which indicates their Austroasiatic language affiliation. There are also minorities such as Vietnamese, Laotian Chinese, and Thai people who reside in the towns. Other small numbers include the Hill people and minority cultures of Laos, such as the Hmong, Yao (Mien) (Hmong-Mien), Dao, Shan, and several Tibeto-Burman-speaking peoples.
Ethnic Percentage
- Lao – 53.2%
- Khmu – 11%
- Hmong – 9.2%
- Puthai – 3.4%
- Thai – 3.1%
- Makong – 2.5%
- Katang – 2.2%
- Tai Lu – 2%
- Akha – 1.8%
- Others – 11.6%
Source: Census 2015