Laos is a country in Southeast Asia. The country's population was estimated at about 7.43 million in 2021, dispersed unevenly across the country. Most people live in valleys of the Mekong River and its tributaries. Vientiane Prefecture, which includes Vientiane, the capital and largest city of the country, had 820,924 residents as of the 2015 census. The country's population density is 26.7/km2.
Phu Thai is a Southwestern Tai language spoken in Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Although it appears different from the Isan and the Lao languages, it is spoken in areas where these languages are predominant and has been influenced by them. Comparisons of Phu Thai with other Tai languages such as Tay Khang have not yet been done systematically enough to yield convincing results.
Another aspect of Phu Thai is its contact with the Katuic languages, a branch of the Austroasiatic languages. Whether in the Phu Thai areas of Central Laos or in more recent locations of Northeastern Thailand, one can find, along with Phu Thai, a few Katuic dialects known locally as Bru, So or Katang. James R. Chamberlain (2012) focusing on anthropological issues describes “the Phou Thay – Brou relationship” as a “symbiosis” and states that “the Phou Thay – Brou relationship has never evolved into a feudal system”.
The Lua people are a minority ethnic group native to Laos, although there is now a sizable community living in Thailand. Lua' is their preferred autonym (self-designation), while their Lao neighbours tend to call them Thin, T'in or Htin. Another term for this group is Lawa. There are two subgroups: the Mal and the Phai or Pray.
Thailand is a country of some 70 ethnic groups, including at least 24 groups of ethnolinguistically Tai peoples, mainly the Central, Southern, Northeastern, and Northern Thais; 22 groups of Austroasiatic peoples, with substantial populations of Northern Khmer and Kuy; 11 groups speaking Sino-Tibetan languages, with the largest in population being the Karen; 3 groups of Austronesian peoples, i.e., the Malay, the majority ethnic group in the southernmost three provinces, together with the Moken and Urak Lawoi ; and both groups of Hmong-Mien. Other ethnic groups include longstanding immigrant communities such as the Chinese, Indians and Thai Portuguese.
The Phuan people, ພວນ Phouan, pronounced[pʰúa̯n]), also known as Tai Phuan, Thai Puan or Lao Phuan, are a Theravada Buddhist Tai people spread out in small pockets over most of Thailand's Isan region with other groups scattered throughout central Thailand and Laos. There are also approximately 5000 Phuan in the Mongkol Borei District of Banteay Meanchey Province in Cambodia, as well in Battambang Province. According to the Ethnologue Report, the Phuan number 204,704 and that is split fairly evenly between populations in Laos and Thailand.
Phuan or Northeastern Lao is a Tai language spoken in Laos, Thailand and Cambodia.
The Phai are an ethnic group in Thailand and Laos. They are one of two sub-groups of the Lua people.
The Yoy people are an ethnic group in Southeast Asia.
The Bit or Bid are an ethnic group living in Laos. There are around 1,500 people left, mainly in a single village, as well as a further 500 or so across the border in China. They speak Bit, a Mon–Khmer language, although most also speak Lao.
Tai Nüa is one of the Tai ethnicities in South East Asia. They are mostly found in the Yunnan Province of China, Laos, Thailand, Burma and Vietnam and some have emigrated to the United States of America. There are however two different groups of Tai people called Tai Nua, one in China and Burma, the other in Laos.
Tai peoples are the populations who speak the Tai languages. There are a total of about 93 million people of Tai ancestry worldwide, with the largest ethnic groups being Dai, Thais, Isan, Tai Yai (Shan),Tai Lai(Shanni), Lao, Tai Ahom, Tai Meitei and Northern Thai peoples.
Nyaheun is a Mon–Khmer language of the Bahnaric branch spoken in southern Laos. Chazée (1999:95) estimates the population at 4,200, while the 1995 Laotian census places the Nyaheun population at 5,152. According to Ethnologue, the language is "vigorous," which means it is spoken by people of all ages in its home community.
Tai Loi, also known as Mong Lue, refers to various Palaungic languages spoken mainly in Burma, with a few hundred in Laos and some also in China. Hall (2017) reports that Tai Loi is a cover term meaning 'mountain Tai' in Shan, and refers to various Angkuic, Waic, and Western Palaungic languages rather than a single language or branch. The Shan exonym Tai Loi can refer to:
Paza is a Loloish language of northern Laos. Paza speakers consist of 2,100 people distributed in 8 villages of Ban Phusang Mai, Muang Samphan, Phongsaly, and 1 village in Oudomxay. It is documented as "Phusang" in Kato (2008), which has a brief word list of the language collected from Phusangkao village, Samphan District.
The Sách is a Vietic ethnic group of Vietnam, native people of the mountains of Central Vietnamese province of Quảng Bình. The exonym Sách might have originated during the 15th century from the Sino-Vietnamese name for "register," which pre-modern Vietnamese texts used the term to designate villages that inhabited by various Austronesian and Austroasiatic highlanders. On the other hand, according to Michel Ferlus, the name's meaning may have relation with uncertain ancient Chinese terminologies. In Vietnam, they are considered a sub-ethnic group of the Chứt.
Vietic peoples refers to a group of ethnic groups of Southeast Asia.
Liha or Lyha is a Northwest Vietic language spoken in southwest of Nghe An province in Vietnam and a small trip of land in Bolikhamsai province, Laos, by a tribal group called Liha. Estimates in 1999 suggested that there were 300 Liha and unknown number of Liha speakers at the time.
The Arem is a small, unreached, and endangered Vietic-speaking ethnic group of Vietnam and Lao PDR, native people of the mountains of Central Vietnamese province of Quảng Bình and neighboring Khammouan province of Laos. Their alternate autonyms are Umo, Chmbrau or Chmrau, which are Katuic expressions for "hunter-gatherers." In Vietnam, they are considered a sub-ethnic group of the Chứt.
The Mày is a small ethnic group of Vietnam, indigenous of the mountains of Central Vietnamese province of Quảng Bình. In Vietnam, they are considered a sub-ethnic group of the Chứt. Only about 450 individuals of them still speak May language, a distinct Vietic Cheut language.
