Unemployment rate for young people in Laos
Laos: Unemployment rate for young people was 2.38 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
2.38
Change on year
up 9.5%
World rank
179th
of 186 countries
All-time high
5.78
in 2017
All-time low
1.58
in 2010
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment rate for young people in Laos, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment rate for young people in Laos is 2.38, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 9.5% on the previous year and down 38.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate for young people in Laos peaked at 5.78 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 1.58, in 2010.
That places Laos 179th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate for young people in Laos, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 5.2 | — |
| 1992 | 5.55 | +6.8% |
| 1993 | 5.61 | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 5.48 | -2.2% |
| 1995 | 5.45 | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 5.17 | -5.1% |
| 1997 | 4.97 | -3.8% |
| 1998 | 4.82 | -3.2% |
| 1999 | 4.54 | -5.7% |
| 2000 | 4.31 | -5.2% |
| 2001 | 3.98 | -7.6% |
| 2002 | 3.75 | -5.9% |
| 2003 | 3.46 | -7.6% |
| 2004 | 3.17 | -8.5% |
| 2005 | 2.86 | -9.6% |
| 2006 | 2.57 | -10.3% |
| 2007 | 2.31 | -10.2% |
| 2008 | 2.06 | -10.8% |
| 2009 | 1.83 | -11.0% |
| 2010 | 1.58 | -13.9% |
| 2011 | 2.02 | +28.1% |
| 2012 | 2.47 | +22.1% |
| 2013 | 2.94 | +19.0% |
| 2014 | 3.41 | +16.2% |
| 2015 | 3.9 | +14.2% |
| 2016 | 4.84 | +24.0% |
| 2017 | 5.78 | +19.5% |
| 2018 | 5.13 | -11.3% |
| 2019 | 4.47 | -12.8% |
| 2020 | 4.24 | -5.3% |
| 2021 | 3.33 | -21.5% |
| 2022 | 2.18 | -34.3% |
| 2023 | 2.18 | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 2.18 | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 2.38 | +9.5% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 2.38 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10.12, 24% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Laos's 2.38 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.96, 27% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.2 | 4.54 | 5.61 | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.03 | 1.83 | 4.31 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.65 | 1.58 | 5.78 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.75 | 2.18 | 4.24 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Laos
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 unemployment rate for young people in Laos?
- Unemployment rate for young people in Laos was 2.38 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate for young people recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 5.78 in 2017.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate for young people recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.58 in 2010.
- How does Laos rank for unemployment rate for young people?
- Laos ranks 179th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate for young people rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 38.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate for young people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).