The demographic makeup of the population is uncertain as the government divides the people into three groups according to the altitude at which they live, rather than according to ethnic origin.

The Lao are a branch of the Tai people who began migrating southward from China in the first millennium A.D.

In the north, there are mountain tribes of Miao–Yao, Austro-Asiatic, Tibeto-Burman Hmong, Yao, Akha, and Lahu who migrated into the region in the 19th century.

French, once common in government and commerce, has declined in use, while knowledge of English—the language of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)—has increased in recent years.

[11] These 160 ethnic groups speak a total of 82 distinct living languages.

[12] Lao 53.2%, Khmu 11%, Hmong 9.2%, and other (over 100 minor ethnic groups) 26.6% (2015 census).