Lao Language
ລາວ
Linguistic Classification Lao is a member of the Tai-Kadai language family, closely related to Thai and other Tai languages.
Number of Speakers Approximately 3.3 million native speakers, with at least 800,000 second-language speakers, excluding the Isan dialect.
Official Status Lao is the official language of Laos, spoken by 58.1% of the population as their mother tongue.
Writing System The Lao script, an abugida derived from the Khmer script, is used for writing the language.