Lao people

Lao people

ລາວ
A Lao woman wearing traditional clothing in Luang Prabang, Laos
Total population
c. 22 million (including Lao Isan)[a][1]
Regions with significant populations
Laos	3,427,665[2]
Thailand	17,822,432 (including Lao Isan people) (2010)[3]
France	200,000[4]
United States	200,000 (2015)[5]
Cambodia	101,400 (including Khmer Lao people)[1]
Canada	24,580 (2016)[6]
Myanmar	17,000[1]
Vietnam	17,532[7]
Germany	4,000[8]
Belgium	1,067[9]
Languages
Lao
Religion
Theravada Buddhism, Laotian folk religion
Related ethnic groups
Other Tai peoples (e.g. Black Tai people, Isan people, Dai people, etc.)

This article contains Lao text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Lao script.

The Lao people are a Tai ethnic group native to Southeast Asia, who speak the Lao language of the Kra–Dai languages. They are the majority ethnic group of Laos, making up 53.2% of the total population. The majority of Lao people adhere to Theravada Buddhism. They are closely related to other Tai people, especially (or synonymous) with the Isan people, who are also speakers of Lao language, native to neighboring Thailand.

In Western historiography, terms Lao people and Laotian have had a loose meaning. Both terms have been irregularly applied both to all natives of Laos in general, aside from or alongside ethnic Lao during different periods in history. Since the end of French rule in Laos in 1953, Lao has been applied solely to the ethnic group while Laotian refers to any citizen of Laos regardless of their ethnic identity. Certain countries still conflate the terms in their statistics.

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