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There are 68 official ethnic groups in Laos, belonging to three
main groups
 Lao
Loum - Lao, or Lao Loum consists of about half of the poulation.
The Lao Loum or lowland lao people live in the Mekong river valley
and its tributaries. The Lao Loum cultivate and eat wet, or sticky
rice, and generally practice Theravada Buddhism. Lao Loum are a
subgroup of the Austro-Thai people and speak the Lao language. The
Lao Loum women wear the traditional sinh - the wraparound sarong.
Lao Tai are closely related to the Lao Loum and are officially classified
in that group. The Lao Tai are more tribal than the Lao Loum and
cultivate both wet rice and dry mountain rice. Lao Tai traditionally
practice slash and burn agricultural methods. The Lao Tai on the
whole have not converted to either Christianity or Buddhism and
retain their animist beliefs. Lao Tai are further subdivided into
sub groups by the colour of their traditional clothing, ie Black,
White, Red Tai.
 Lao
Theung are the largest hilltribe group, with 45 subgroups. The
Lao Theeung are semi nomadic and of Mon-Khmer origin. They live
on mountain slopes, between 300 and 900m altitude and practice slash
and burn agriculture. The Khamu subgroup is found in the north and
grow mountain rice, cotton, coffee and tobacco. The Tin subgroup
is found in Sayabouli province - they are hunters and do not use
metal tools, using only wood and bamboo. The Akha and Alak subgroups
live in the south in the Boloven plateau
 Lao
Sung or High Lao live in the high mountains of the north. Main
groups are the Hmong and the Mien. Hmong are divided into Black,
Red, White and Striped, according to their clothing. The Hmong raise
cattle, pigs and chickens and generally survive on a barter economy.
The Mien have a similar language to the Hmong and are known for
their silver craftsmanship. Smaller hilltribe groups include the
Lisu, Lahu and Lolo.
As well as the four main groups, Laos also has a number of Chinese,
mainly living in the cities as well as ethnic Vietnamese, Cambodians,
Burmese and Thai, In Vientiane there are also a small number of
southern Asians.
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