Lao PDR — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Lao PDR, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Lao PDR was 1.19% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 3.27% in 2017. The lowest was 0.71% in 2010 (about 1.7× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -2.16% per year.
Lao PDR ranks 180 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 96%. The median for East Asia & Pacific is 3.05%, so Lao PDR sits below it. It peaked in 2017 and has fallen 64% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 41%. Within East Asia & Pacific it ranks 27 of 29 economies; Thailand (0.78%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was down 42% in 2022. That is 42% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 147th of 187 in 1991 → 173rd of 187 in 2000 → 184th of 187 in 2010 → 172nd of 187 in 2020 → 175th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.19% | +0.0 pp |
| 2024 | 1.17% | -0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 1.19% | -0.0 pp |
| 2022 | 1.21% | -0.9 pp |
| 2021 | 2.08% | -0.3 pp |
| 2020 | 2.35% | -0.2 pp |
| 2019 | 2.53% | -0.4 pp |
| 2018 | 2.9% | -0.4 pp |
| 2017 | 3.27% | +0.6 pp |
| 2016 | 2.63% | +0.6 pp |
| 2015 | 2.01% | +0.3 pp |
| 2014 | 1.73% | +0.3 pp |
| 2013 | 1.47% | +0.3 pp |
| 2012 | 1.21% | +0.2 pp |
| 2011 | 0.96% | +0.3 pp |
| 2010 | 0.71% | -0.1 pp |
| 2009 | 0.84% | -0.1 pp |
| 2008 | 0.94% | -0.1 pp |
| 2007 | 1.07% | -0.1 pp |
| 2006 | 1.2% | -0.2 pp |
| 2005 | 1.35% | -0.1 pp |
| 2004 | 1.5% | -0.1 pp |
| 2003 | 1.64% | -0.1 pp |
| 2002 | 1.78% | -0.1 pp |
| 2001 | 1.88% | -0.2 pp |
| 2000 | 2.05% | -0.1 pp |
| 1999 | 2.15% | -0.1 pp |
| 1998 | 2.29% | -0.1 pp |
| 1997 | 2.35% | -0.1 pp |
| 1996 | 2.45% | -0.1 pp |
| 1995 | 2.6% | -0.0 pp |
| 1994 | 2.63% | -0.1 pp |
| 1993 | 2.73% | +0.0 pp |
| 1992 | 2.71% | +0.2 pp |
| 1991 | 2.5% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Lao PDR’s Unemployment in 1992?
2.71% (1992). 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 total labor force, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Lao PDR’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -52.5% in total — about 2.2% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.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: 2025: 1.19%; 2024: 1.17%; 2023: 1.19%; 2022: 1.21%; 2021: 2.08%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment Rate. 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.