Laos has a land area slightly larger than the state of Utah with a population of 6 million. The “lowland” Lao (Loum) make up 68% of the population followed by the “upland” Lao (Theung). The Hmong, “highland” Lao (Soung) and the Yao make up 9% of the population. The purchasing power in Laos is estimated to be $ 1,700 per person.

There is an estimated to be 175,000 Hmong in the United States.