Adult literacy rate in Laos
75.6% of adults in Laos could read and write in 2023.
Laos, 2023
75.6%
Change from 2017
+1.9percentage points
World, 2023
87.6%
Adult literacy rate in Laos over time
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Laos
World
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The chart loads when you scroll to it. The table below shows the same data.
The chart shows a calculation from the published values. The table below keeps the published values.
% of people aged 15 and above. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. Gaps mean no published value; points are not joined across missing years.
| Period | Laos | World |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | – | 87.7% |
| 2023 | 75.6% | 87.6% |
| 2022 | – | 87.4% |
| 2021 | – | 87.2% |
| 2020 | – | 87.0% |
| 2019 | – | 86.8% |
| 2018 | – | 86.8% |
| 2017 | 73.7% | 86.5% |
| 2016 | – | 86.3% |
| 2015 | 84.7% | 86.0% |
| 2014 | – | 85.6% |
| 2013 | – | 85.2% |
| 2012 | – | 84.9% |
| 2011 | – | 84.7% |
| 2010 | – | 84.4% |
| 2009 | – | 83.8% |
| 2008 | – | 83.5% |
| 2007 | – | 83.1% |
| 2006 | – | 82.5% |
| 2005 | 72.7% | 82.6% |
| 2004 | – | 82.6% |
| 2003 | – | 82.2% |
| 2002 | – | 81.7% |
| 2001 | 68.7% | 81.4% |
| 2000 | 69.6% | 81.1% |
A dash means no value was published for that period.
In short
- The previous available figure was 73.7% in 2017, a change of +1.9 percentage points.
- Since 1995, when it was 60.3%, the figure has changed by +15.4 percentage points.
- The figure for the world in 2023 was 87.6%.
More for Laos
All statistics for Laos
Primary school enrolment (gross)
93.1%
2025 · World Bank
ILO estimate of the youth NEET rate
22.6%
2025 · ILOSTAT
Primary completion (UIS)
87.7%
2023 · UNESCO UIS
Lower secondary completion
56.2%
2023 · UNESCO UIS
Upper secondary completion
37.4%
2023 · UNESCO UIS
Out-of-school children
10.4%
2025 · UNESCO UIS