Headcount
Nationalities

Laos

In 2025, the Home Office granted 54 study visas to nationals of Laos, counting main applicants and family members.

How UK records count nationals of Laos in 2025.

On this page

UK counts

2025 · By nationality, as the Home Office records it

These counts can overlap. Never add them together.

Moved to the UK
Not published
The ONS does not publish an estimate for this nationality.
ONS estimate · 2025 [1]
Visas granted
See 5 routes
A visa gives permission to come. It is not an arrival.
Home Office · grants · 2025 [2]
Asylum claims
0 people
People named on initial claims, main applicants and family members. Counted by claim date, not arrival date.
Home Office · 2025 [3]
Small boat arrivals
0 people detected
People detected arriving by small boat across the English Channel. Figures from January 2025 can still be revised.
Home Office · 2025 [4]
Sources (4)
1 ONS, Long-term international migration, year ending December 2025
Table 3e of the dataset, nationalities outside the EU+, on a visa. The ONS publishes nationality estimates for a few nationalities only.
Published 21 May 2026. Official statistics in development.
2 Home Office, entry clearance visa datasets, year ending June 2026
Entry clearance visas granted, main applicants and family members together, by date of decision.
Published 27 August 2026. Accredited official statistics.
3 Home Office, asylum claims dataset (Asy_D01)
Initial claims, main applicants and family members, by date of claim.
Published 27 August 2026. Accredited official statistics.
4 Home Office, illegal entry routes dataset
Small boat arrivals by nationality, people detected, calendar years from 2018.
Published 27 August 2026. Official statistics.
Visa routes5 routes · 2025

Home Office · grants · 2025

A visa gives permission to come. It is not an arrival.

  • Work visas10 grants

    Includes family members of workers, and seasonal and other short work visas.

  • Study visas54 grants

    Includes family members of students, and short study visas.

  • Family visas7 grants

    The family route, including refugee family reunion. Not the family members counted in work or study.

  • Safe route visas0 grants

    The BN(O) route and the Ukraine schemes.

  • Other visas12 grants

    All other visas, including EU Settlement Scheme permits and visas for resettled refugees.

Selected visa routes71 grants

Added here Work, study, family and safe route grants added up here, 10 + 54 + 7 + 0. Excludes other visas. Not all visas, and not arrivals.

History

Showing Work visas, grants.

Showing work visas because the ONS does not publish an estimate for this nationality. Visas are not arrivals.

Options

Sources (1)

Home Office, entry clearance visa datasets, year ending June 2026

Country context

These describe country populations, not people who moved to the UK. They do not explain migration.

Population people

Laos

7,873,046

2025 [1]

UK

69,487,000

2025 [1]

The UK figure is the World Bank's, so both countries come from one source. The ONS estimates the UK population at 69,483,939 on 30 June 2025 (published 1 October 2026).

Life expectancy years at birth, both sexes

Laos

69.2

2024 [2]

UK

81.4

2024 [2]

GDP per person constant 2021 international dollars

Laos

8,873

2025 [3]

UK

53,993

2025 [3]

GDP at purchasing power parity, not earnings or household income.

Sources (3)
1 World Bank, World Development Indicators, series SP.POP.TOTL
The record for Lao People's Democratic Republic. Latest observation in the file, 2025. Rounded for display.
Unit as published, people.
2 World Bank, World Development Indicators, series SP.DYN.LE00.IN
The record for Lao People's Democratic Republic. Latest observation in the file, 2024. Rounded for display.
Unit as published, years.
3 World Bank, World Development Indicators, series NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.KD
The record for Lao People's Democratic Republic. Latest observation in the file, 2025. Rounded for display.
Unit as published, constant 2021 international dollars.
More contextLiteracy, unemployment and urban population

Adult literacy people aged 15 and over, %

Laos

75.6%

2023 [1]

UK

Not published

Unemployment share of the labour force, %

Laos

1.2%

2025 · Modelled estimate [2]

UK

4.7%

2025 · Modelled estimate [2]

Urban population share of residents, %

Laos

40.3%

2025 [3]

UK

83.3%

2025 [3]

National definitions differ.

Sources (3)
1 World Bank, World Development Indicators, series SE.ADT.LITR.ZS
Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above).
The record for Lao People's Democratic Republic. Latest observation in the file, 2023. Rounded for display.
Unit as published, % of people ages 15 and above.
2 World Bank, World Development Indicators, series SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate).
The record for Lao People's Democratic Republic. Latest observation in the file, 2025. Rounded for display.
Unit as published, % of total labour force.
3 World Bank, World Development Indicators, series SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS
Urban population (% of total population).
The record for Lao People's Democratic Republic. Latest observation in the file, 2025. Rounded for display.
Unit as published, % of total population.
ReligionsLaos and the UK

These records describe residents in each country. They do not show the religions of people who moved to the UK.

Not directly comparable. Different years and categories.

Laos

2015 census · UNdata [1]

  • Baha'i2,122 people
  • Buddhist4,201,993 people
  • Christian112,230 people
  • Muslim1,605 people
  • Other19,901 people
  • No Religion2,040,365 people
  • Not Stated114,012 people

UK

2011 census · UNdata [2]

  • Buddhist261,584 people
  • Christian37,583,962 people
  • Hindu835,418 people
  • Jewish269,568 people
  • Muslim2,786,635 people
  • No Religion16,221,509 people
  • Not Specified4,528,323 people
Sources (2)
1 UNdata, Demographic Statistics Database, population by religion (table 28)
Lao People's Democratic Republic, Census - de jure - complete tabulation, Final figure, complete. Counts of people, total area, both sexes.
Census year 2015. UNdata lists it as received in 2019.
2 UNdata, Demographic Statistics Database, population by religion (table 28)
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Census - de jure - complete tabulation, Final figure, complete. Counts of people, total area, both sexes.
Census year 2011. UNdata lists it as received in 2014.

Questions people ask

How many UK visas were granted to nationals of Laos in 2025?

In 2025, the Home Office granted 10 work, 54 study, 7 family, 0 safe route and 12 other visas to nationals of Laos, counting main applicants and family members. Source: Home Office, entry clearance visa datasets, year ending June 2026.

How many nationals of Laos claimed asylum in the UK in 2025?

In 2025, 0 nationals of Laos claimed asylum in the UK, counting main applicants and family members by date of claim. Source: Home Office, asylum claims dataset (Asy_D01).

How many nationals of Laos arrived in the UK by small boat in 2025?

In 2025, 0 nationals of Laos were detected arriving in the UK by small boat across the English Channel. Figures from January 2025 can still be revised. Source: Home Office, illegal entry routes dataset.

All nationalitiesThe full A to Z table, with Laos selected