!!!Laos: People & Society ||Population|7,019,073 (July 2016 est.) ||Nationality|''noun'': Lao(s) or Laotian(s) \\ ''adjective'': Lao or Laotian \\ ||Ethnic groups|Lao 54.6%, Khmou 10.9%, Hmong 8%, Tai 3.8%, Phuthai 3.3%, Lue 2.2%, Katang 2.1%, Makong 2.1%, Akha 1.6%, other 10.4%, unspecified 1% (2005 est.) ||Languages|Lao (official), French, English, various ethnic languages ||Religions|Buddhist 66.8%, Christian 1.5%, other 31%, unspecified 0.7% (2005 est.) ||Age structure|''0-14 years'': 33.4% (male 1,184,344/female 1,159,731) \\ ''15-24 years'': 21.29% (male 742,073/female 751,983) \\ ''25-54 years'': 36.1% (male 1,250,108/female 1,283,834) \\ ''55-64 years'': 5.36% (male 184,183/female 192,298) \\ ''65 years and over'': 3.85% (male 122,485/female 148,034) (2016 est.) \\ ||Dependency ratios|''total dependency ratio'': 62.8% \\ ''youth dependency ratio'': 56.6% \\ ''elderly dependency ratio'': 6.2% \\ ''potential support ratio'': 16.1% (2015 est.) \\ ||Median age|''total'': 22.7 years \\ ''male'': 22.4 years \\ ''female'': 23 years (2016 est.) \\ ||Population growth rate|1.53% (2016 est.) ||Birth rate|23.9 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) ||Death rate|7.5 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.) ||Net migration rate|-1.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.) ||Urbanization|''urban population'': 38.6% of total population (2015) \\ ''rate of urbanization'': 4.93% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.) \\ ||Major urban areas - population|VIENTIANE (capital) 997,000 (2015) ||Sex ratio|''at birth'': 1.04 male(s)/female \\ ''0-14 years'': 1.02 male(s)/female \\ ''15-24 years'': 0.99 male(s)/female \\ ''25-54 years'': 0.97 male(s)/female \\ ''55-64 years'': 0.96 male(s)/female \\ ''65 years and over'': 0.83 male(s)/female \\ ''total population'': 0.99 male(s)/female (2016 est.) \\ ||Maternal mortality rate|197 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) ||Infant mortality rate|''total'': 51.4 deaths/1,000 live births \\ ''male'': 56.8 deaths/1,000 live births \\ ''female'': 45.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.) \\ ||Life expectancy at birth|''total population'': 64.3 years \\ ''male'': 62.2 years \\ ''female'': 66.4 years (2016 est.) \\ ||Total fertility rate|2.76 children born/woman (2016 est.) ||Contraceptive prevalence rate|49.8% (2011/12) ||Health expenditures|1.9% of GDP (2014) ||Physicians density|0.18 physicians/1,000 population (2012) ||Hospital bed density|1.5 beds/1,000 population (2012) ||Drinking water source|''improved'': \\ urban: 85.6% of population \\ rural: 69.4% of population \\ total: 75.7% of population \\ ''unimproved'': \\ urban: 14.4% of population \\ rural: 30.6% of population \\ total: 24.3% of population (2015 est.) \\ ||Sanitation facility access|''improved'': \\ urban: 94.5% of population \\ rural: 56% of population \\ total: 70.9% of population \\ ''unimproved'': \\ urban: 5.5% of population \\ rural: 44% of population \\ total: 29.1% of population (2015 est.) \\ ||HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate|0.26% (2014 est.) ||HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS|11,100 (2014 est.) ||HIV/AIDS - deaths|500 (2014 est.) ||Major infectious diseases|''degree of risk'': very high \\ ''food or waterborne diseases'': bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever \\ ''vectorborne diseases'': dengue fever and malaria (2016) \\ ||Obesity - adult prevalence rate|3% (2014) ||Children under the age of 5 years underweight|26.5% (2012) ||Education expenditures|3.3% of GDP (2014) ||Literacy|''definition'': age 15 and over can read and write \\ ''total population'': 79.9% \\ ''male'': 87.1% \\ ''female'': 72.8% (2015 est.) \\ ||School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)|''total'': 11 years \\ ''male'': 11 years \\ ''female'': 10 years (2014) \\ ||Child labor - children ages 5-14|''total number'': 175,138 \\ ''percentage'': 11% (2006 est.) \\