Lao PDR — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Lao PDR, 1992–2023.
Education spending for Lao PDR was 1.23% in 2023, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 26 years, from 1992 to 2023. The highest recorded value was 3.23% in 2013. Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -2.04% per year.
Lao PDR ranks 169 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 98%. The median for East Asia & Pacific is 4.25%, so Lao PDR sits below it. It peaked in 2013 and has fallen 62% since. Over the last decade (2013–2023) the figure moved down 62%. Within East Asia & Pacific it ranks 25 of 25 economies; Indonesia (1.28%) is just above it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 78% in 2013. That is 46% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 49th of 57 in 1992 → 113th of 116 in 2000 → 121st of 130 in 2010 → 151st of 157 in 2020 → 105th of 107 in 2023.
Key figures
Full history — 1992 to 2023
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1.23% | -0.2 pp |
| 2022 | 1.46% | -0.4 pp |
| 2021 | 1.86% | -0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 1.92% | -0.2 pp |
| 2019 | 2.12% | -0.2 pp |
| 2018 | 2.34% | -0.2 pp |
| 2017 | 2.5% | -0.3 pp |
| 2016 | 2.77% | +0.0 pp |
| 2015 | 2.74% | -0.2 pp |
| 2014 | 2.94% | -0.3 pp |
| 2013 | 3.23% | +1.4 pp |
| 2012 | 1.82% | +0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 1.71% | -0.0 pp |
| 2010 | 1.71% | +0.1 pp |
| 2009 | 1.65% | -0.6 pp |
| 2008 | 2.28% | -0.8 pp |
| 2007 | 3.08% | +0.1 pp |
| 2006 | 2.96% | +0.5 pp |
| 2005 | 2.41% | +0.0 pp |
| 2004 | 2.41% | -0.4 pp |
| 2002 | 2.83% | +0.8 pp |
| 2001 | 1.99% | +0.5 pp |
| 2000 | 1.5% | -0.6 pp |
| 1997 | 2.13% | -0.3 pp |
| 1996 | 2.43% | +0.1 pp |
| 1992 | 2.33% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Lao PDR’s Education spending in 1996?
2.43% (1996). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of GDP, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Lao PDR’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1992 and 2023 the series was shrinking overall: -47.2% in total — about 2.0% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2023: 1.23%; 2022: 1.46%; 2021: 1.86%; 2020: 1.92%; 2019: 2.12%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS — Government Education Spending (% of GDP). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.