# Cambodia and Laos compared Cambodia and Laos side by side: 43 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 1 events their chronicles record of each other. Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/khm-vs-lao Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates) Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation. ## Formation - Cambodia: 802 — Jayavarman II declares himself chakravartin on Mount Mahendraparvata - Laos: 1353 — Fa Ngum is crowned king of Lan Xang ## Economy | Metric | Cambodia | Observed | Laos | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | GDP | $46 B | 2024 | $17 B | 2024 | | GDP per capita | $2,628 | 2024 | $2,124 | 2024 | | GDP growth | 6.0% | 2024 | 4.1% | 2024 | | Inflation | 0.8% | 2024 | 23.1% | 2024 | | Trade openness | 143.4% | 2024 | 75.1% | 2016 | ## Society | Metric | Cambodia | Observed | Laos | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Population | 18 m | 2024 | 7.8 m | 2024 | | Life expectancy | 70.8 yrs | 2024 | 69.2 yrs | 2024 | | Urban population | 40.9% | 2024 | 39.6% | 2024 | | Fertility rate | 2.5 | 2024 | 2.4 | 2024 | ## Governance | Metric | Cambodia | Observed | Laos | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Voice & accountability | 27.6 | 2024 | 31.1 | 2024 | | Political stability | 68.1 | 2024 | 75.4 | 2024 | | Government effectiveness | 45.6 | 2024 | 40.0 | 2024 | | Regulatory quality | 44.9 | 2024 | 44.8 | 2024 | | Rule of law | 38.8 | 2024 | 44.2 | 2024 | | Control of corruption | 22.9 | 2024 | 28.0 | 2024 | ## Health | Metric | Cambodia | Observed | Laos | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Health spending | 4.6% | 2023 | 1.3% | 2023 | | Physicians | 0.21 | 2019 | 0.33 | 2022 | | Under-5 mortality | 18.4 | 2024 | 29.4 | 2024 | | Measles immunisation | 83.0% | 2024 | 69.0% | 2024 | | Safe drinking water | 30.0% | 2024 | 35.2% | 2024 | ## Education | Metric | Cambodia | Observed | Laos | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Adult literacy | 71.9% | 2021 | 75.6% | 2023 | | Education spending | 2.2% | 2023 | 1.2% | 2023 | | Primary enrolment | 109.0% | 2024 | 93.1% | 2025 | | Secondary enrolment | 58.8% | 2024 | 50.5% | 2025 | | Tertiary enrolment | 21.4% | 2024 | 14.9% | 2023 | ## Technology | Metric | Cambodia | Observed | Laos | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | R&D spending | 0.1% | 2015 | 0.0% | 2002 | | Researchers (per million) | 30 | 2015 | 16 | 2002 | | Internet users | 68.5% | 2024 | 65.6% | 2024 | | Mobile subscriptions | 116 | 2024 | 65 | 2023 | | High-tech exports | 5.3% | 2024 | 7.4% | 2023 | ## Geography | Metric | Cambodia | Observed | Laos | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Land area | 176,520 km² | 2023 | 230,800 km² | 2023 | | Forest area | 43.1% | 2023 | 71.5% | 2023 | | Agricultural land | 34.9% | 2023 | 9.9% | 2023 | | CO₂ per capita (t) | 1.1 | 2024 | 3.4 | 2024 | | Renewable energy | 52.4% | 2021 | 49.2% | 2022 | ## Resources | Metric | Cambodia | Observed | Laos | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Resource rents | 0.8% | 2021 | 5.4% | 2021 | | Oil rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 | | Mineral rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 3.9% | 2021 | | Forest rents | 0.8% | 2021 | 1.5% | 2021 | | Electricity access | 95.0% | 2023 | 96.5% | 2023 | ## Military | Metric | Cambodia | Observed | Laos | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Military burden | 1.5% | 2024 | 0.2% | 2013 | | Defense spending | $721 M | 2024 | $23 M | 2013 | | Armed forces | 191,000 | 2020 | 129,000 | 2020 | Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/KHM.md and https://terralore.co/country/LAO.md. ## Entangled histories (1 event) Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources. - from the mid-14th century: **Theravada Buddhism established** — During Fa Ngum's reign Theravada Buddhism of the Sinhalese school is introduced into the Lao kingdom, likely from Cambodia, becoming the foundational religion of Laos. (from the Laos chronicle; sources: Fa Ngum; Lan Xang) ## Sources - World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org - Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators - Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho - Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org - R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org - ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics - Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/KHM/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/LAO/chronicle.md. Citation template: Terralore, "Cambodia and Laos compared", terralore.co/compare/khm-vs-lao, retrieved .