Laotian diaspora
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (roughly 800,000) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Thailand
|
288,000 |
 United States
|
232,130 |
 France
|
200,000 |
 Canada
|
22,090 |
 Cambodia
|
21,600 |
 Vietnam
|
14,900 |
 Australia
|
10,769 |
 Argentina
|
1,800 |
 New Zealand
|
1,344 |
 Germany
|
unknown |
| Languages | |
| Lao, various local languages | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Lao people | |
The Laotian diaspora consists of roughly over half a million Lao people, both descendants of early emigrants from Laos, as well as more recent refugees who escaped the country following its communist takeover as a result of the Laotian Civil War. The overwhelming majority of overseas Laotians live in just three countries: Thailand, the United States, and France.
The Laotian diaspora can be categorized into three different categories based on time periods. The first consists of Laotians who have lived outside Laos prior to the French colonization of the country. Members of this group live almost exclusively in Thailand as a result of the Siamese annexation of the Isan region following the decline of the kingdom of Lan Xang in the early 1700s. The second category consists of Laotians who studied or worked in France and Vietnam during Laos' colonial period and then settled those countries. This group was primarily made up of the country's elite class. The third category consists of the largest number of overseas Laotians, who fled the country following the communist Pathet Lao takeover of Laos as a result of the Vietnam War. This group of the Laotian diaspora primarily live in North America, France and Australia, with a smaller number in Thailand. Recently, there has been a new group of Laotians living overseas. Members of this group primarily consist of newer emigrants or expatriates who live in industrialized nations for a few years before returning home. (See Indochina refugee crisis)
A Laotian population has been present in the Isan region of Thailand since the 13th century, when the Lao kingdom of Lan Xang annexed the region following the Khmer Empire's downfall. The kingdom of Siam later took over the region in the early 1700s after Lan Xang's decline and the present boundaries between Laos and Thailand were established in 1907, with the region officially coming under Thai control. While this earlier group of Laotians share a very similar culture and speak a language mutually intelligible with Lao, they are often identified as a separate ethnic group due to Thaification policies as a result of the Thai government seeing strong Lao influence in the country as a threat to its power.
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Wikipedia