Country field notes / East Asia & Pacific

Lao PDR

Life expectancy 69.2 years (2024); GDP per person $8,600 in constant-2021 PPP dollars (2024). These are captured source observations, not a measure of household wealth. Dates can differ across indicators.

A first view of health, purchasing power, and essential services. These are observed source indicators; The experimental rankings provide a separate, explicitly weighted comparison where all inputs are available.

Related analysis: A 71% access average can conceal a 9% bottleneck

Ranking summary · 2023

Equal-domain rank 139 / 170 · Overall 25.2 · Rank across three weightings 132–140

Health: 30.2 · Essential services: 27.2 · Material resources: 32.5 · Civic voice: 4.1 · Air quality: 32.0

Experimental cohort percentile scores. Compare this economy and inspect the method.

Latest available observations in the captured 2000–2025 data. Periods vary; no gap-filling.
IndicatorValueUnitObservation periodProvider
Life expectancy69.22years2024World Bank
GDP per person$8,6002021 international $2024World Bank
Electricity access96.50% of population2024World Bank
Basic drinking water95.86% of population2024World Bank
Basic sanitation88.73% of population2024World Bank
Clean cooking access10.00% of population2024World Bank
Food insecurity34.40% of population2024World Bank
Poverty at $3/day7.10% of population2024World Bank
Income / consumption Gini34.70index, 0–1002024World Bank
Bottom 20% resource share7.90% of income or consumption2024World Bank
Under-five mortality29.40deaths per 1,000 live births2024World Bank
Maternal mortality112.00deaths per 100,000 live births2023World Bank
Child stunting32.80% of children under five2023World Bank
Out-of-pocket health spending44.84% of current health expenditure2023World Bank
Unemployment1.19% of labor force2025World Bank
Youth outside work and education22.51% of youth2022World Bank
Internet use65.59% of population2024World Bank
PM2.5 exposure25.98micrograms per cubic meter2023World Bank
Forest area56.64% of land area2024World Bank
Freshwater stress4.79% of available freshwater resources2022World Bank
Adjusted net savings-2.55% of GNI2016World Bank
Voice and accountability27.55absolute score, 0–1002025World Bank
Rule of law48.08absolute score, 0–1002025World Bank
Government effectiveness40.21absolute score, 0–1002025World Bank
Control of corruption28.03absolute score, 0–1002025World Bank
Political stability75.27absolute score, 0–1002025World Bank
Regulatory quality44.14absolute score, 0–1002025World Bank
Tax revenue12.11% of GDP2022World Bank
Income, profit and capital-gains tax share19.33% of revenue2022World Bank
Goods and services tax share53.89% of revenue2022World Bank
International trade tax share8.08% of revenue2022World Bank
Government health spending0.53% of GDP2023World Bank
Government education spending1.23% of GDP2023World Bank
Intentional homicideUnavailabledeaths per 100,000 people—World Bank
Consumer price inflation7.74annual %2025World Bank
Tax wedge: Single, no children · 67% average wageUnavailable% of employer labour cost—OECD
Tax wedge: Single, no children · average wageUnavailable% of employer labour cost—OECD
Tax wedge: Single, no children · 167% average wageUnavailable% of employer labour cost—OECD
Tax wedge: Single parent, 2 children · 67% average wageUnavailable% of employer labour cost—OECD
Tax wedge: Couple, 2 children · one average-wage earnerUnavailable% of employer labour cost—OECD
Tax wedge: Couple, 2 children · 100% + 67% average wagesUnavailable% of employer labour cost—OECD
Tax wedge: Couple, 2 children · two average-wage earnersUnavailable% of employer labour cost—OECD
Tax wedge: Couple, no children · 100% + 67% average wagesUnavailable% of employer labour cost—OECD
Weekly work hours: All employed people41.52hours per employed person2025ILO
Weekly work hours: Women in employment41.15hours per employed person2025ILO
Weekly work hours: Men in employment41.83hours per employed person2025ILO
Life evaluation (3-year mean)5.51Cantril ladder, 0–102023–2025World Happiness Report

How to read this profile

GDP per person is measured in constant 2021 international dollars using purchasing power parity. It measures economic output, not household income or wealth. Life expectancy is period life expectancy at birth, not healthy life expectancy. Service access percentages are national averages and do not establish service reliability or equal access.

Missing values remain unavailable. Comparable years may have different underlying survey dates; source estimates can be revised.

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Households · Money and time · Ranking robustness · Within countries · Passport opportunities · Change over time · Similar resources · Hidden hardship · Evidence and uncertainty

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Cite this profile

Pluraterra. “Lao PDR: country field notes.” Atlas prototype, snapshot retrieved November 1–2, 2026; observation periods shown per row. Underlying data: World Bank World Development Indicators. This page is a mutable preview; use the accompanying CSV for the captured data.

Download the captured data · Source and release notes