School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Laos
Laos: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) was 9.05 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Laos, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Laos recorded 9.05 years for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.5% on the previous year and down 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Laos peaked at 11.17 years in 2015 and was at its lowest, 3.74 years, in 1971.
Laos ranks 163rd of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Laos, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 3.74 years | — |
| 1972 | 4 years | +6.9% |
| 1973 | 4.04 years | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 6.23 years | +54.0% |
| 1981 | 6.33 years | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 6.13 years | -3.3% |
| 1985 | 6.14 years | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 6.3 years | +2.6% |
| 1988 | 6.8 years | +8.0% |
| 1990 | 6.5 years | -4.5% |
| 1993 | 6.74 years | +3.7% |
| 1994 | 7.01 years | +4.1% |
| 1995 | 6.72 years | -4.2% |
| 1996 | 7.29 years | +8.5% |
| 1997 | 7.5 years | +2.9% |
| 1998 | 7.75 years | +3.3% |
| 1999 | 7.84 years | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 7.86 years | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 7.87 years | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 8.14 years | +3.5% |
| 2003 | 8.48 years | +4.1% |
| 2004 | 8.63 years | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 8.83 years | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 8.87 years | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 9.07 years | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 9.27 years | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 9.59 years | +3.5% |
| 2010 | 9.83 years | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 10.27 years | +4.4% |
| 2012 | 10.4 years | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 10.71 years | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 11 years | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 11.17 years | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 11.09 years | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 10.94 years | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 10.62 years | -3.0% |
| 2019 | 10.48 years | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 10.15 years | -3.2% |
| 2021 | 9.99 years | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 9.58 years | -4.1% |
| 2023 | 9.05 years | -5.5% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 9.05 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.12 years, 81% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Laos's 9.05 years is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 14.21 years, 64% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +54.0% | 4.04 years | 6.23 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.93 years | 3.74 years | 4.04 years | 3 |
| 1980s | 6.32 years | 6.13 years | 6.8 years | 6 |
| 1990s | 7.17 years | 6.5 years | 7.84 years | 8 |
| 2000s | 8.66 years | 7.86 years | 9.59 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.65 years | 9.83 years | 11.17 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.69 years | 9.05 years | 10.15 years | 4 |
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 to tertiary, both sexes in Laos?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Laos was 9.05 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 11.17 years in 2015.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.74 years in 1971.
- How does Laos rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- Laos ranks 163rd out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.5%. 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 to tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release