School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Laos
Laos: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 4.66 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Laos, 1971–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Laos is 4.66 years, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 18.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Laos peaked at 5.98 years in 2010 and was at its lowest, 3.47 years, in 1971.
That places Laos 181st out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Laos, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 3.47 years | — |
| 1972 | 3.69 years | +6.3% |
| 1973 | 3.7 years | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 3.96 years | +7.0% |
| 1977 | 4.96 years | +25.4% |
| 1978 | 4.95 years | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 5.13 years | +3.7% |
| 1980 | 5.12 years | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 5.16 years | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 5.03 years | -2.4% |
| 1983 | 4.9 years | -2.6% |
| 1984 | 4.83 years | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 4.81 years | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 4.97 years | +3.3% |
| 1988 | 5.32 years | +7.0% |
| 1990 | 5.07 years | -4.7% |
| 1991 | 4.78 years | -5.6% |
| 1992 | 4.97 years | +4.0% |
| 1993 | 5.28 years | +6.3% |
| 1994 | 5.46 years | +3.3% |
| 1995 | 5.19 years | -4.9% |
| 1996 | 5.72 years | +10.1% |
| 1997 | 5.73 years | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 5.78 years | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 5.65 years | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 5.5 years | -2.6% |
| 2001 | 5.35 years | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 5.41 years | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 5.48 years | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 5.5 years | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 5.53 years | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 5.54 years | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 5.62 years | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 5.74 years | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 5.87 years | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 5.98 years | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 5.94 years | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 5.9 years | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 5.9 years | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 5.87 years | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 5.73 years | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 5.55 years | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 5.39 years | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 5.22 years | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 5.1 years | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 5.02 years | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 4.96 years | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 4.79 years | -3.4% |
| 2023 | 4.76 years | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 4.7 years | -1.3% |
| 2025 | 4.66 years | -0.8% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 4.66 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.02 years, 77% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Laos's 4.66 years is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 6.02 years, 78% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Laos changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | +25.4% | 3.96 years | 4.96 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.27 years | 3.47 years | 5.13 years | 7 |
| 1980s | 5.02 years | 4.81 years | 5.32 years | 8 |
| 1990s | 5.36 years | 4.78 years | 5.78 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.55 years | 5.35 years | 5.87 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.66 years | 5.1 years | 5.98 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.82 years | 4.66 years | 5.02 years | 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 school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Laos?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Laos was 4.66 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 5.98 years in 2010.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.47 years in 1971.
- How does Laos rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Laos ranks 181st out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.7%. 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, published as part of School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release