World Map › Asia › Laos
Country
Map of Laos
Asia · Vientiane
Laos spans the Eurasian and Sunda plates. Since 1900, 2 major earthquakes have been recorded. Its natural and humanitarian risk index (INFORM) is 3.7 out of 10, a medium level.
- Capital
- Vientiane
- Population
- 6,858,160
- Area
- 236,800 km²
- Continent
- Asia
Tectonic Plates
Natural Hazards
INFORM index by the European Commission, from 0 (very low) to 10 (very high), for each type of hazard.
People Exposed Each Year
- 4,811to strong shaking (intensity VI and above)
- 29to destructive shaking (intensity VIII and above)
- 4,777to hurricane-force winds (category 1 and above)
- 191,832to river floods
Risk Index Over Time
Hazard Levels
Hazard level assessed by ThinkHazard! (World Bank, GFDRR), meaning the likelihood of a damaging event, from very low to high.
- River FloodHigh
- Urban FloodHigh
- LandslideHigh
- CycloneHigh
- WildfireHigh
- EarthquakeMedium
- Extreme HeatMedium
- Water ScarcityLow
- VolcanoVery Low
Volcanoes
No volcano active over the last 10,000 years is recorded in this country.
Major Earthquakes Since 1900
Earthquakes that caused deaths or significant damage, or of magnitude 7.5 and above (NOAA).
Tropical Cyclones
75 major tropical cyclones have made landfall in Laos since 1950. The deadliest and most powerful are listed below.
- 1984Typhoon Agnes · 70 km/h1,029 deaths
- 2024Typhoon Yagi · 0 km/h784 deaths
- 1956Typhoon Charlotte · 148 km/h
- 1985Typhoon Cecil · 130 km/h
- 2013Typhoon Wutip · 126 km/h
- 2006Typhoon Xangsane · 120 km/h
- 2017Typhoon Doksuri · 120 km/h
- 2022Typhoon Noru · 117 km/h
- 2013Typhoon Nari · 111 km/h
- 1964Typhoon Tilda · 102 km/h
Sources : Natural Earth · Wikidata · INFORM Risk Index (1 September 2026 v 0.7.3), Commission européenne, CC BY 4.0 · NOAA NCEI · ThinkHazard!, GFDRR, CC BY · Bird (2003), PB2002 · Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution