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Country profile

Lao nationals in Japan

Total residents (2025)
4,993
Total Population of Laos: ~7.6 million
Growth (past 10 years)
+92.6%
2,592 in 2015 → 4,993 in 2025

Top visa types (2025)

Technical Intern Trainee
1,827
Permanent resident
1,430
Specified Skilled Worker
453
Student
358
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The Average Lao Migrant

Male profile

The average Lao male in Japan is a technical intern trainee in his late twenties, living in Kanagawa.

Modal age25–29
Top visaTechnical Intern Trainee (43.1%)
2nd visaPermanent resident (23.2%)
Population2,665 (53.4%)
Female profile

The average Lao female in Japan is a permanent resident in her late twenties, living in Kanagawa.

Modal age25–29
Top visaPermanent resident (34.8%)
2nd visaTechnical Intern Trainee (29.1%)
Population2,328 (46.6%)

Population over time

Total Lao residents

Annual figures, 2006–2025 — hover the line for details
01,0002,0003,0004,0005,00020062010201520202025
0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2024
Permanent resident Engineer / Humanities Spouse of Japanese Instructor Student Others

Visa Types

What do these visa types mean? →

Status of residence (2025)

Current snapshot
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 Technical Intern Trainee Technical Intern Trainee: 1,827 1,827 Permanent resident Permanent resident: 1,430 1,430 Specified Skilled Worker Specified Skilled Worker: 453 453 Student Student: 358 358 Long-term resident Long-term resident: 281 281 Spouse of Japanese Spouse of Japanese: 177 177 Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services: 150 150 Family stay / Dependent Family stay / Dependent: 109 109 Spouse of PR Spouse of PR: 94 94 Designated activities Designated activities: 53 53 Skilled labour Skilled labour: 23 23 Trainee Trainee: 12 12
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 Technical Intern Trainee Technical Intern Trainee 2015: 321 Technical Intern Trainee 2025: 1,827 321 1,827 (2025) Permanent resident Permanent resident 2015: 1,419 Permanent resident 2025: 1,430 1,419 1,430 (2025) Specified Skilled Worker Specified Skilled Worker 2015: 0 Specified Skilled Worker 2025: 453 0 453 (2025) Student Student 2015: 228 Student 2025: 358 228 358 (2025) Long-term resident Long-term resident 2015: 277 Long-term resident 2025: 281 277 281 (2025) Spouse of Japanese Spouse of Japanese 2015: 118 Spouse of Japanese 2025: 177 118 177 (2025) Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services 2015: 47 Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services 2025: 150 47 150 (2025) Family stay / Dependent Family stay / Dependent 2015: 53 Family stay / Dependent 2025: 109 53 109 (2025) Spouse of PR Spouse of PR 2015: 85 Spouse of PR 2025: 94 85 94 (2025) Designated activities Designated activities 2015: 3 Designated activities 2025: 53 3 53 (2025)
Where Laos is heavier than rest of world Where Laos is lighter (or absent) Technical Intern Trainee Lao: 36.6% 36.6% Rest of world: 11.0% 11.0% Permanent resident Lao: 28.6% 28.6% Rest of world: 23.0% 23.0% Long-term resident Lao: 5.6% 5.6% Rest of world: 5.5% 5.5% Spouse of PR Lao: 1.9% 1.9% Rest of world: 1.4% 1.4% Trainee Lao: 0.2% 0.2% Rest of world: 0.0% 0.0% Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services Lao: 3.0% 3.0% Rest of world: 11.5% 11.5% Special Permanent resident Lao: 0.0% 0.0% Rest of world: 6.5% 6.5% Family stay / Dependent Lao: 2.2% 2.2% Rest of world: 8.6% 8.6% Student Lao: 7.2% 7.2% Rest of world: 11.3% 11.3% Designated activities Lao: 1.1% 1.1% Rest of world: 3.0% 3.0% Business manager Lao: 0.0% 0.0% Rest of world: 1.1% 1.1% Skilled labour Lao: 0.5% 0.5% Rest of world: 1.3% 1.3% High-skilled professional Lao: 0.1% 0.1% Rest of world: 0.8% 0.8%

Demographics

Age distribution

All Lao residents — five-year age brackets, December 2025
0 500 1,000 1,500 0–4: 68 68 0–4 5–9: 77 77 5–9 10–14: 110 110 10–14 15–19: 258 258 15–19 20–24: 1,051 1,051 20–24 25–29: 1,159 1,159 25–29 30–34: 712 712 30–34 35–39: 425 425 35–39 40–44: 275 275 40–44 45–49: 226 226 45–49 50–54: 155 155 50–54 55–59: 164 164 55–59 60–64: 144 144 60–64 65–69: 95 95 65–69 70–74: 48 48 70–74 75–79: 17 17 75–79 80+: 9 9 80+
MALE 男性 FEMALE 女性 0–4 29 39 5–9 43 34 10–14 57 53 15–19 145 113 20–24 627 424 25–29 658 501 30–34 392 320 35–39 201 224 40–44 124 151 45–49 97 129 50–54 66 89 55–59 61 103 60–64 63 81 65–69 56 39 70–74 33 15 75–79 10 7 80+ 3 6

Gender split

December 2025
Male: 2,665 (53.4%) Female: 2,328 (46.6%) 4,993 total
Male
2,665 (53.4%)
Female
2,328 (46.6%)

The Lao community is nearly balanced (53% male). Technical Intern Trainees lead (37%), but a deep-rooted permanent-resident core (29%) dates back to the Indochina refugee resettlement of the late 1970s.

Permanent resident: 811 (34.8%) Technical Intern Trainee: 678 (29.1%) Specified Skilled Worker: 190 (8.2%) Student: 153 (6.6%) Spouse of Japanese: 148 (6.4%) Long-term resident: 141 (6.1%) Family stay / Dependent: 74 (3.2%) Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services: 50 (2.1%) Spouse of PR: 49 (2.1%) Designated activities: 18 (0.8%) Trainee: 8 (0.3%) Professor: 3 (0.1%) Intra-company transferee: 2 (0.1%) Other: 3 (0.1%) Total female 2,328
2,328 female Lao residents — by status of residence
Permanent resident811
Technical Intern Trainee678
Specified Skilled Worker190
Student153
Spouse of Japanese148
Long-term resident141
Family stay / Dependent74
Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services50
Spouse of PR49
Designated activities18
Trainee8
Professor3
Intra-company transferee2
Other3
Technical Intern Trainee: 1,149 (43.1%) Permanent resident: 619 (23.2%) Specified Skilled Worker: 263 (9.9%) Student: 205 (7.7%) Long-term resident: 140 (5.3%) Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services: 100 (3.8%) Spouse of PR: 45 (1.7%) Family stay / Dependent: 35 (1.3%) Designated activities: 35 (1.3%) Spouse of Japanese: 29 (1.1%) Skilled labour: 23 (0.9%) Intra-company transferee: 7 (0.3%) Trainee: 4 (0.2%) Other: 11 (0.4%) Total male 2,665
2,665 male Lao residents — by status of residence
Technical Intern Trainee1,149
Permanent resident619
Specified Skilled Worker263
Student205
Long-term resident140
Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services100
Spouse of PR45
Family stay / Dependent35
Designated activities35
Spouse of Japanese29
Skilled labour23
Intra-company transferee7
Trainee4
Other11
0 1,000 2,000 3,000 2010 2015 2020 2025 Female 2,328 Male 2,665

Where they live (2025)

By region — heat map

Hover or tap a region to see its breakdown.
Hokkaido Hokkaido 723 723 Tohoku Tohoku 518 518 Kanto Kanto 2,621 2,621 Chubu Chubu 1,926 1,926 Kansai Kansai 3,189 3,189 Chugoku Chugoku 487 487 Shikoku Shikoku 245 245 Kyushu Kyushu 1,158 1,158
Fewer
More
Selected region
Kanto
11,830
57.6% of Japan total
Top Visa Categories
Prefectures
Tokyo
7,596
Kanagawa
1,948
Chiba
1,018
Saitama
763
Ibaraki
231
Tochigi
138
Gunma
136

Highest and Lowest Prefectures

2025 Resident Counts
Top 10
Kanagawa
Kanto
1,228
Ibaraki
Kanto
432
Tokyo
Kanto
353
Saitama
Kanto
268
Shizuoka
Chubu
260
Kagawa
Shikoku
202
Osaka
Kansai
196
Hyogo
Kansai
190
Chiba
Kanto
178
Gunma
Kanto
139
Bottom 10
Shimane
Chugoku
3
Tottori
Chugoku
5
Wakayama
Kansai
8
Kochi
Shikoku
11
Akita
Tohoku
11
Saga
Kyushu
12
Ishikawa
Chubu
13
Miyazaki
Kyushu
15
Oita
Kyushu
19
Fukui
Chubu
21

Prefecture Growth, 2015 to 2025

Absolute change in Lao residents over the past decade
Largest increase
Saitama
Kanto
+197
Ibaraki
Kanto
+192
Osaka
Kansai
+167
Tokyo
Kanto
+154
Gunma
Kanto
+128
Largest decrease
Kanagawa
Kanto
-30
Shimane
Chugoku
+1
Tottori
Chugoku
+3
Wakayama
Kansai
+3
Yamanashi
Chubu
+5
0 500 1,000 1,500 2010 2015 2020 2025 Kanagawa Ibaraki Tokyo Saitama Shizuoka Kagawa Osaka Hyogo

Fun Fact

Laos is one of Japan's quietest communities — under 5,000 people — yet it carries deep history: Japan resettled Indochinese refugees from 1978, and their descendants anchor today's permanent-resident core, now joined by a new generation of trainees.
Interested to know more about migration numbers in Japan?
Explore Overview →Immigration statistics for the whole of Japan — 4.13 million foreign residentsAll Nationalities/Regions →This page is one of 67 — explore every major community in Japan
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