placestats

Last European coloniser: France · Largest religious group: Buddhists. These are labels that describe the country, not numbers, so they are never compared with other measures. The numbers behind them, such as population shares, are.

Lao PDR

Against lower middle income countries, Lao PDR ranks 8th of 47 on health and 42nd of 45 on governance. Each ranking counts only the countries that report that score, so the totals differ and the two ranks can’t be compared directly. Both compare Lao PDR with countries of similar wealth. That is the only kind of ranking that tells you something a ranking by income does not already show.

How it has changed

Every measure Lao PDR reports, over all the years it has been published. Pick one. Hover or use the arrow keys to read a year. Gaps in a line are years with no data. They are left open, not filled in.

Loading…

Scores by area

Each score averages the measures in one area, such as health. Each measure is first put on a common scale and turned so that higher is always better. Zero is the average country in an average year. One point is a typical gap between countries (a standard deviation), so +1 means about one typical gap above average. These are summaries, not measurements. See how the country scores are built and how the topic scores compare with each other.

ScoreValueRank, all countriesRank, similar incomeMostly income?
Governance score 2025-1.14162 of 17942 of 45moderate +0.53
Health score 2024+0.3141 of 1938 of 47moderate +0.32
Education score 2023-0.35171 of 19938 of 46proxy +0.81
Equality score 2024+0.2681 of 16515 of 44high +0.64
Infrastructure score 2023+0.40154 of 21022 of 47proxy +0.90
Gender score 2024-0.09141 of 18631 of 46moderate +0.37
Environment score 2024-0.17117 of 21331 of 47moderate -0.33
Labour score 2025-0.16130 of 19522 of 47high +0.79

The last column shows how closely each score just tracks national income. The number is its link with GDP per person (the value of everything a country produces, divided by its people), from −1 to +1. A score marked proxy is mostly a measure of how rich the country is. Its rank among all countries says little that GDP per person does not. That is why the rank among similar-income countries sits beside it.

The measures behind them

Every measure reported for Lao PDR, grouped by area. Some measures have no agreed better direction, such as population growth, inflation and military spending. They are listed here but left out of every score, since there is no fair way to say which way is better. Some names use technical terms: PPP means adjusted for what money buys in each country, HDI is a United Nations score combining life expectancy, schooling and income, and a Gini indexmeasures how unequally income is shared. Each measure’s own page explains it.

crime

Conflict deaths0per 100,000 people2025higher is worse
Armed conflict present01 if any conflict, else 02025higher is worse

culture

Religiously unaffiliated0.0528%% of population2020no agreed direction
Christian share1.54%% of population2020no agreed direction
Muslim share0.0222%% of population2020no agreed direction
Single-parent households5.06%% of households2017no agreed direction
One-person households3.18%% of households2017no agreed direction
Women in a union61.6%% of women aged 15-492017no agreed direction

demography

Median age24.3years2023no agreed direction
Age at childbearing26.3years2023no agreed direction
Population7,873,046people2025no agreed direction
Population growth1.32%% per year2025no agreed direction
Urbanization40.3%% of population2025no agreed direction
Population 65+4.81%% of population2025no agreed direction
Population 0-1429.8%% of population2025no agreed direction
Fertility rate2.4births per woman2024no agreed direction
Birth rate20.9per 1,000 people2024no agreed direction
Net migration-10,645people2025no agreed direction
Migrant share of population0.7%% of population2024no agreed direction

economy

HDI0.617index, 0 to 12023higher is better
Inequality-adjusted HDI0.462index, 0 to 12023higher is better
GDP per capita (PPP)$8,873international $2025higher is better
GNI per capita (PPP)$7,620international $2021higher is better
GDP per capita (market)$2,807US$2025higher is better
GDP growth4.54%% per year2025no agreed direction
Inflation7.74%% per year2025no agreed direction
Trade openness75.1%% of GDP2016no agreed direction
FDI inflows5.99%% of GDP2024no agreed direction
Tax revenue12.1%% of GDP2022no agreed direction
Government consumption14%% of GDP2016no agreed direction
Government expense10.3%% of GDP2022no agreed direction
Military spending0.19%% of GDP2013no agreed direction
Employment in agriculture68.6%% of employment2025no agreed direction

education

Primary completion70.1%% of children2025higher is better
Expected schooling9.61years2023higher is better
Mean years of schooling6.06years2023higher is better
Education spending1.23%% of GDP2023no agreed direction
Primary enrollment93.1%% gross2025higher is better
Secondary enrollment50.5%% gross2025higher is better
Tertiary enrollment14.9%% gross2023higher is better
Adult literacy75.6%% of adults2023higher is better
Compulsory schooling9years2025no agreed direction
Out of school, primary10.4%% of primary-age children2025higher is worse
Pupil-teacher ratio22.3pupils per teacher2018higher is worse

environment

CO2 per capita3.35t CO2e per capita2024higher is worse
Forest area71.5%% of land area2023higher is better
Agricultural land9.91%% of land area2023no agreed direction
Protected land18.8%% of land area2025higher is better

gender

Gender Inequality Index0.475index, 0 to 12023higher is worse
Gender Development Index0.911ratio of women's HDI to men's2023no agreed direction
Women's political empowerment0.508index (0-1)2025higher is better
Women ministers17.6%% of ministers2024higher is better
Women in parliament22%% of seats2025higher is better
Women in management25.7%% of managers2022higher is better
Married by 1830.5%% of women aged 20-242023higher is worse

governance

Corruption Perceptions Index33index (0-100, higher = cleaner)2024higher is better
Political rights (FH)7rating (1-7, 1 = most free)2025higher is worse
Civil liberties (FH)6rating (1-7, 1 = most free)2025higher is worse
Refugees originating84.4per 100,000 people2024higher is worse
Electoral democracy0.135index (0-1)2025higher is better
Liberal democracy0.11index (0-1)2025higher is better
Participatory democracy0.118index (0-1)2025higher is better
Free and fair elections0.236index (0-1)2025higher is better
Regime type0regime category (0-3)2025higher is better
Political corruption0.765index (0-1)2025higher is worse
Freedom of expression0.032index (0-1)2025higher is better
Freedom of association0.047index (0-1)2025higher is better
Political civil liberties0.053index (0-1)2025higher is better
Civil society participation0.229index (0-1)2025higher is better
Birth registration73%% of children under 52017higher is better
Control of corruption-0.98index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Rule of law-0.742index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Government effectiveness-0.582index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Regulatory quality-0.636index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Voice and accountability-1.47index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Political stability0.558index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better

health

Life expectancy69.2years2024higher is better
Infant mortality27.2per 1,000 live births2024higher is worse
Under-5 mortality29.4per 1,000 live births2024higher is worse
Health spending1.33%% of GDP2023no agreed direction
Suicide rate4.58per 100,0002021higher is worse
Hospital beds1.71per 1,000 people2023no agreed direction
Basic water access95.9%% of population2024higher is better
Basic sanitation88.7%% of population2024higher is better
Child stunting29.9%% of children under 52024higher is worse
Adolescent fertility81.9births per 1,000 women aged 15-192024higher is worse
Maternal mortality112per 100,000 live births2023higher is worse
Skilled birth attendance64.4%% of births2017higher is better
Alcohol consumption10.8litres per adult per year2020no agreed direction
Tobacco use25.4%% of adults2024higher is worse
Road traffic deaths17.9per 100,000 population2019higher is worse
Physicians0.331per 1,000 people2022higher is better
DTP3 immunisation67%% of children aged 12-23 months2024higher is better
HIV prevalence0.4%% of adults aged 15-492024higher is worse
Tuberculosis incidence127per 100,000 people2024higher is worse
Premature NCD mortality26.5%% probability, ages 30-702021higher is worse
Anaemia in women28.6%% of women aged 15-492023higher is worse
Out-of-pocket health spending44.8%% of health spending2023higher is worse
Food insecurity35.6%% of population2023higher is worse
Adult obesity9.18%% of adults2024higher is worse
Health coverage index64index, 0 to 1002023higher is better

inequality

Gini index34.7index (0-100)2024higher is worse
Extreme poverty rate7.1%% of population2024higher is worse

infrastructure

Internet users65.6%% of population2024higher is better
Mobile subscriptions64.8per 100 people2023higher is better
Electricity access96.5%% of population2024higher is better
Slum share of urban population54.8%% of urban population2022higher is worse
Fixed broadband2.72per 100 people2023higher is better

labor

Informal employment90.5%% of employment2022higher is worse
Unemployment1.19%% of labor force2025higher is worse
Female labor participation61.6%% of women 15+2025no agreed direction
Male labor participation70.6%% of men 15+2025no agreed direction
Youth not in work or study22.5%% of 15 to 24 year olds2022higher is worse
Vulnerable employment76.4%% of employment2025higher is worse

wellbeing

Life satisfaction5.51score (0-10)2025higher is better

Values are the most recent in 2010–2025, and different measures can come from different years. The year is shown beside each. Nothing here ranks countries by merit. An area score averages whatever measures its publishers happen to collect, and the choice of what to collect is itself a judgement made by someone else. All countries · How the country data works

Countries to compare with Lao PDR

Also in East Asia & Pacific: American Samoa, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Hong Kong SAR, China, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Korea, Dem. People's Rep., Korea, Rep., Macao SAR, China, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Fed. Sts., Mongolia, Myanmar, Naoero, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Viet Nam.

Also lower middle income, in other regions: Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Cameroon, Comoros, Congo, Rep., Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Arab Rep., Eswatini, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, India, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, RB, West Bank and Gaza, Zambia, Zimbabwe.