Employment in industry (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Laos
Laos: Employment in industry (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) was 7.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Laos, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment in industry (% of total employment) in Laos is 7.4%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 18.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in industry (% of total employment) in Laos peaked at 7.4% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 1991.
Laos ranks 178th of 187 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in industry (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Laos, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1.9% | — |
| 1992 | 1.9% | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 2.0% | +3.5% |
| 1994 | 2.2% | +7.1% |
| 1995 | 2.3% | +5.8% |
| 1996 | 2.4% | +5.7% |
| 1997 | 2.6% | +6.4% |
| 1998 | 2.6% | +2.1% |
| 1999 | 2.8% | +7.4% |
| 2000 | 3.0% | +5.0% |
| 2001 | 3.1% | +4.7% |
| 2002 | 3.3% | +5.1% |
| 2003 | 3.4% | +5.2% |
| 2004 | 3.6% | +5.6% |
| 2005 | 3.9% | +6.8% |
| 2006 | 4.2% | +8.9% |
| 2007 | 4.5% | +7.0% |
| 2008 | 4.8% | +7.1% |
| 2009 | 5.1% | +6.6% |
| 2010 | 5.4% | +5.2% |
| 2011 | 5.6% | +3.7% |
| 2012 | 5.8% | +3.9% |
| 2013 | 6.0% | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 6.2% | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 6.3% | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 6.4% | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 6.5% | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 6.8% | +4.3% |
| 2019 | 7.0% | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 7.0% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 7.1% | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 7.2% | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 7.2% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 7.4% | +2.1% |
| 2025 | 7.4% | +0.2% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 7.4% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 17.8%, 42% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Laos's 7.4% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 19.9%, 37% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.3% | 1.9% | 2.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.9% | 3.0% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.2% | 5.4% | 7.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.2% | 7.0% | 7.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Laos
- 175 Papua New Guinea 7.9% compare
- 176 Luxembourg 7.6% compare
- 177 Solomon Islands 7.6% compare
- 179 Malawi 7.3% compare
- 180 Uganda 7.3% compare
- 181 Angola 7.2% compare
More work & labour data for Laos
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 1,934 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 66.2 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 3,788 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 1.25 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.16 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 19,084 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 6,038 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 65.37 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.63 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 1.83 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in industry (% of total employment) in Laos?
- Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Laos was 7.4% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in industry (% of total employment) recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 7.4% in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment in industry (% of total employment) recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 1991.
- How does Laos rank for employment in industry (% of total employment)?
- Laos ranks 178th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in industry (% of total employment) rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in industry (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The industry sector consists of mining and quarrying, manufacturing, construction, and public utilities (electricity, gas, and water), in accordance with divisions 2-5 (ISIC 2) or categories C-F (ISIC 3) or categories B-F (ISIC 4).