Classification

Specialists are largely in agreement as to the ethnolinguistic classification of the ethnic groups of Laos. For the purposes of the 1995 census, the government of Laos recognized 149 ethnic groups within 47 main ethnicities. whereas the Lao Front for National Construction

Lao Front for National Construction

The Lao Front for National Construction is a Laotian popular front founded in 1979 and led by the Lao People's Revolutionary Party. Its task is to organize Laotian mass organizations and other socio-political organizations. In 1988 its tasks were expanded to include certain ethnic minority affairs...

 (LFNC) recently revised the list to include 49 ethnicities consisting of over 160 ethnic groups. The term ethnic minorities is used by some to classify the non-Lao ethnic groups, while the term indigenous peoples is not used by the Lao PDR. These 160 ethnic groups speak a total of 82 distinct living languages.

Mon-Khmer

• Aheu (Population of approximately 1,770 in Pak Sane Province)
• Alak (Population of approximately 4,000 in southern Laos)
• Arem (Population of approximately 500 in Laos)
• Bo (Population of 2,950 in Laos)
• Bru
  Bru people
  The Bru are an ethnic group living in Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. They speak Bru, a Mon–Khmer language, which has several dialects...
  
   (Population of approximately 69,000 in Laos)
• Chut
  Chut people
  The Chut are a small ethnic group located in the Minh Hóa and Tuyên Hóa districts of Quảng Bình Province, in Vietnam's North Central Coast. There are multiple sub-ethnic groups within the Chut designation including the Rục, Mày, Arem, Mã Liêng, and Sách...
  
   (Population of 450 in Khammouan Province)
• Halang Doan (Population of 2,346 in Attopu Province and on the Kasseng Plateau)
• Hung (Population of 2,000 in Bolikhamsai and Khammouan Provinces)
• Ir (Population of 4,420 in Saravan Province)
• Jeh (Population of 8,013 in southern Laos)
• Jeng (Population of 7,320 in Attopu Province)
• Kasseng (Population of 6,000 in southern Laos)
• Katang
  Katang
  The Katang are an ethnic group living in Laos, although a few live elsewhere in Southeast Asia. In 1995 there were 95,440 living in Laos, making them one of the largest subgroups of the Lao Theung and one of the largest true ethnic groups in the country. Most live in Savannakhet, Saravan, and...
  
   (Population of 107,350 in Laos)
• Katu (Population of 14,700 in Laos)
• Khlor (Population of 6,000 in Laos)
• Khmer
  Khmer people
  Khmer people are the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia, accounting for approximately 90% of the 14.8 million people in the country. They speak the Khmer language, which is part of the larger Mon–Khmer language family found throughout Southeast Asia...
  
  (Population of 10,400 in Laos)
• Khua (Population of 2,000 in Laos)
• Kri
• Kuy
  Kuy language
  Kuy language is a Katuic language, part of the larger Austroasiatic family.Kuy is one of the more important languages of the Mon–Khmer family...
  
   (Population of 51,180 in Laos)
• Lavae (also referred to as Brao)
• Lave (Population of 12,750 in Laos)
• Laven (Population of 40,519 in Laos)
• Lavi
• Maleng (Population of 800 in Laos)
• Mon
• Ngae (Population of 12,189 in Laos)
• Nguon
• Nyaheun
• Ong
• Oi
• Pakoh
• Phong
  Phong-Kniang language
  Phong Kniang is an Austro-Asiatic language of the Mon–Khmer family, spoken in Laos. Its nearest relatives are the fellow Xinh Mul tongues, the Khang language and Puoc language, both spoken in Vietnam. The number of speakers of Phong-Kniang is estimated at 1,000....
  
  
• Sadang
• Salang
• Sapuan
• Makong
• Sok
• Sou
• Souei
• Taliang
• Ta-oi
• Thae
• Tum
• Vietnamese
  Vietnamese people
  The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
  
   (Population of 76,000 in Laos)
• Yae

Palaungic

• Bit (Population of 1,530 in Laos, disputed as to whether Palaungic or Khmuic)
• Con (Population of 1,000 in Louang Namtha Province)
• Samtao (Population of 2,359 in Laos)
• Lamet
  Lamet
  The Lamet people are an ethnic group in Thailand and Laos.-Name Variations:Lamet are also often referred to as:*Lamed*Khamet*Khamed-Geographic Distribution:...
  
   (Population of 16,740 in Laos)

Khmuic

• Khmu
  Khmu people
  The Khmu is one of the largest ethnic groups based in northern Laos. They can also be found in Burma, southwest China , Thailand, and Vietnam, where they are an officially recognized ethnic group...
  
   (Population of 389,694 in Laos)
• Khuen
  Khuen people
  The Khuen people are an aboriginal ethnic group of Laos.-Name Variation:The Khuen have appeared in research under several different English spellings including Khuen, Kuan, Kuanhua, Kween, Khween, and Khouen.-Language:...
  
   (Population of approximately 8,000 in Laos)
• Mal (Population of 23,193 in Laos)
• Mlabri (Population of 24 in Laos, also known as the Yumbri)
• O'du
• Phai
  Phai people
  The Phai are an ethnic group in Thailand and Laos.-Name Variation:The Phai are also commonly referred to as Phay, Thung Chan Pray, Kha Phay, and Prai. In Laos they are also referred to as Htin.-Language:...
  
   (Population of 15,000 in Laos)
• Xinh Mul
  Xinh Mul people
  -Subgroups:the Xinh Mul are divided linguistically into three subgroups:*The Kháng of Vietnam*The Phong-Kniang of Laos*The Puoc of Vietnam and Laos-Language:...
  
   (Population of 3,164 in Laos, including Phong-Kniang and Puoc, also known as the Sing Mun)

Tibeto-Burman

• Lolo Ethnicity
  Yi people
  The Yi or Lolo people are an ethnic group in China, Vietnam, and Thailand. Numbering 8 million, they are the seventh largest of the 55 ethnic minority groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China...
  
  
  • Kaw (Population of approximately 58,000 in Laos)
  • Hani
    Hani people
    thumb|Typical daily attire of ethnic Hani in China. Near [[Yuanyang County, Yunnan|Yuanyang]], [[Yunnan]] Province, [[China]] The Hani people are an ethnic group. They form one of the 56 nationalities officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. They also form one of the 54 officially...
    
     (Population of 1,122 in Phongsali Province)
  • Kaduo (Population of 5,000 on Laos-China border)
  • Lahu
    Lahu people
    The Lahu are an ethnic group of Southeast Asia and China.They are one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, where about 450,000 live in Yunnan province. An estimated 150,000 live in Burma. In Thailand, Lahu are one of the six main hill tribes; their...
    
     (Population of 8,702 in Laos, also referred to as Museu)
  • Lahu Shi (Population of 3,240 in Laos)
  • Phana
  • Phunoi
  • Si La
    Si La
    The Si La are an ethnic group of about 1,800 people living in northern Laos and another 600 living in the Lai Chau province of northwestern Vietnam....
    
    
• Kado (Population of 225 in Phongsali Province)

Hmong-Mien

• Hmong Daw
  Hmong people
  The Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...
  
   (Population of 169,800 in Laos)
• Hmong Njua
  Hmong people
  The Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...
  
   (Population of 145,600 in Laos)
• Iu Mien
  Iu Mien language
  The Iu Mien language is one of the main languages spoken by the Yao people in China, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and more recently the United States, in diaspora. There are about 2,172,000 speakers in total, according to census data in 2000 from China, Vietnam, Thai, Laos, United States of America,...
  
   (Population of 20,250, also called Yao
  Yao people
  The Yao nationality is a government classification for various minorities in China. They form one of the 55 ethnic minority groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, where they reside in the mountainous terrain of the southwest and south...
  
  )
• Kim Mun (Population of 4,500 in Laos)>

Tai

• Tai Daeng
• Tai Dam
• Tai Gapong
• Tai He
• Tai Khang (Population of 47,636 in Laos)
• Tay Khang
• Tai Kao
  White Thai
  White Tai or Tai Kao is an ethnic group of Laos and Vietnam.-History:The White Tai migrated from China to Laos several centuries ago, settling along the Red and Black Rivers.-Language:The White Tai speak a language called Tai Kao...
  
  
• Kongsat
  Kongsat
  The Kongsat people are an ethnic group in Laos.-Geographic distribution:*Population of approximately 100 in Oudomxai Province of Laos -Origin:...
  
  
• Kuan (Population of 2,500 in Laos)
• Tai Laan
• Tai Maen>
• Lao
  Lao people
  The Lao are an ethnic subgroup of Tai/Dai in Southeast Asia.-Names:The etymology of the word Lao is uncertain, although it may be related to tribes known as the Ai Lao who appear in Han Dynasty records in China and Vietnam as a people of what is now Yunan Province...
  
   (Population of 3,000,000 in Laos)
• Lao Lom
  Lao Lom
  The Lao Lom are an ethnic group in Thailand and Laos. They should not be confused with the Lao Loum , who make up approximately 69% of the population of Laos.-Geographic distribution:...
  
  >
• Tai Long
• Dai
  Dai people
  The Dai peoples is one of several ethnic groups living in the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture and the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture , but by extension can apply to groups in Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and Burma when Dai is used to mean specifically Tai Lue, Chinese Shan or even...
  
   (Population of 134,100 in Laos) including the Lu
  Lu people
  The Tai Lü people are an ethnic group of Vietnam, China, and Thailand. In Vietnam, most Lu live in the Lai Chau Province, and their population was 4,964 in 1999. In China, they are officially recognized as part of the Dai ethnic group. They speak a Tai language.Lu is the indigenous people in Mường...
  
   and Nhuon people))
• Northeastern Thai (including the Tai Kaleun and Isan people)
• Tai Nuea
• Nung
  Nung people
  The Nùng are an ethnic minority in Vietnam. In China, the Nùng, together with the Tày, are classified as Zhuang people.-Description:The population of the Nùng is estimated to be more than 700,000...
  
  
• Nyaw
• Tai Pao
• Tai Peung
• Phuan
  Phuan
  The Phuan , also known as Tai Phuan, Thai Puan or Lao Phuan, are a Theravada Buddhist Tai people spread out in small pockets over most of the northeastern Isan region with other groups scattered in central Thailand and Laos . According to the Ethnologue Report, the Phuan number 204,704 and that is...
  
   (Population of 106,099 in Laos)
• Phutai (Population of 154,400 in Laos)
• Pu Ko
• Rien
• Saek
• Tai Sam
• Tai Yo
• Tayten
• Yoy
• Zhuang (including the Nung people
  Nung people
  The Nùng are an ethnic minority in Vietnam. In China, the Nùng, together with the Tày, are classified as Zhuang people.-Description:The population of the Nùng is estimated to be more than 700,000...
  
  )
• Shan
• Yang