Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Laos
Laos: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 89.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Laos, 1988–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Laos stood at 89.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Laos peaked at 96.0% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 56.4%, in 1992.
Laos ranks 156th of 209 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Laos, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 64.3% | — |
| 1990 | 63.7% | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 56.4% | -11.4% |
| 1993 | 61.2% | +8.4% |
| 1994 | 65.0% | +6.3% |
| 1996 | 67.4% | +3.7% |
| 1997 | 70.0% | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 73.4% | +4.8% |
| 1999 | 74.1% | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 75.0% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 74.4% | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 75.8% | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 78.5% | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 78.8% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 79.4% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 80.0% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 82.5% | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 84.7% | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 87.0% | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 91.7% | +5.4% |
| 2011 | 92.0% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 92.5% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 95.0% | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 96.0% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 95.2% | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 94.7% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 93.7% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 93.2% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 93.3% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 93.1% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 93.0% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 90.6% | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 90.5% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 89.7% | -1.0% |
| 2025 | 89.6% | -0.0% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 89.6% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 93.7%, 96% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Laos's 89.6% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 97.4%, 92% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 64.3% | 64.3% | 64.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 66.4% | 56.4% | 74.1% | 8 |
| 2000s | 79.6% | 74.4% | 87.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 93.8% | 91.7% | 96.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 91.1% | 89.6% | 93.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Laos
More education data for Laos
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 35,584 (2022)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 16,396 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 116,303 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 115,863 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 532,092 (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 739,554 (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0716 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0939 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Laos?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Laos was 89.6% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 96.0% in 2014.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.4% in 1992.
- How does Laos rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Laos ranks 156th out of 209 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.