Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Laos
Laos: Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) was 24.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment in services (% of total employment) in Laos, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Laos recorded 24.0% for employment in services (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and up 15.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in services (% of total employment) in Laos peaked at 24.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 8.0%, in 1991.
That places Laos 180th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Laos, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 8.0% | — |
| 1992 | 8.0% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 8.1% | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 8.2% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 8.4% | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 8.7% | +4.1% |
| 1997 | 8.9% | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 9.4% | +6.1% |
| 1999 | 9.8% | +4.0% |
| 2000 | 10.2% | +3.9% |
| 2001 | 10.6% | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 11.1% | +4.2% |
| 2003 | 11.5% | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 12.1% | +5.4% |
| 2005 | 12.6% | +4.1% |
| 2006 | 13.1% | +3.8% |
| 2007 | 13.7% | +4.4% |
| 2008 | 14.4% | +4.9% |
| 2009 | 15.0% | +4.6% |
| 2010 | 15.7% | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 16.5% | +5.4% |
| 2012 | 17.5% | +5.7% |
| 2013 | 18.6% | +6.3% |
| 2014 | 19.6% | +5.9% |
| 2015 | 20.8% | +5.7% |
| 2016 | 21.8% | +4.9% |
| 2017 | 23.0% | +5.4% |
| 2018 | 23.3% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 23.6% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 23.1% | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 23.0% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 23.3% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 23.4% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 23.7% | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 24.0% | +1.3% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 24.0% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 46.5%, 52% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Laos's 24.0% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 55.3%, 43% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.6% | 8.0% | 9.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 12.4% | 10.2% | 15.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.0% | 15.7% | 23.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.4% | 23.0% | 24.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Laos
- 177 Uganda 27.9% compare
- 178 Malawi 27.7% compare
- 179 Tanzania 27.3% compare
- 181 North Korea 23.5% compare
- 182 Madagascar 20.9% compare
- 183 Mozambique 20.6% 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 services (% of total employment) in Laos?
- Employment in services (% of total employment) in Laos was 24.0% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in services (% of total employment) recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 24.0% in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment in services (% of total employment) recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.0% in 1991.
- How does Laos rank for employment in services (% of total employment)?
- Laos ranks 180th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in services (% of total employment) rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.6%. 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 services (% 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 services sector consists of wholesale and retail trade and restaurants and hotels; transport, storage, and communications; financing, insurance, real estate, and business services; and community, social, and personal services, in accordance with divisions 6-9 (ISIC 2) or categories G-Q (ISIC 3) or categories G-U (ISIC 4).