Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Lao People's Democratic Republic
Lao People's Democratic Republic: Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas was 69.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Lao People's Democratic Republic, 1991–2023
Source: ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Lao People's Democratic Republic stood at 69.6%.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Lao People's Democratic Republic peaked at 86.5% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 61.0%, in 2017.
That places Lao People's Democratic Republic 4th out of 186 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Lao People's Democratic Republic, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 86.5% | — |
| 1992 | 86.3% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 86.1% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 85.8% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 85.4% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 84.7% | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 83.9% | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 83.2% | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 82.5% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 81.8% | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 81.0% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 80.1% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 79.3% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 78.3% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 77.3% | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 76.4% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 75.2% | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 74.0% | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 72.7% | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 71.4% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 70.1% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 68.7% | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 67.1% | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 65.6% | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 64.1% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 62.7% | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 61.0% | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 62.7% | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 64.4% | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 66.3% | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 67.8% | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 69.6% | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 69.6% | +0.1% |
Lao People's Democratic Republic compared with similar countries
- Lao People's Democratic Republic's 69.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 34.4%, 2.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lao People's Democratic Republic's 69.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 26.1%, 2.7× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 84.9% | 82.5% | 86.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 77.6% | 72.7% | 81.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.8% | 61.0% | 71.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 68.3% | 66.3% | 69.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lao People's Democratic Republic
- 1 Burundi 85.1% compare
- 2 Niger 70.6% compare
- 3 Central African Republic 70.5% compare
- 5 Mozambique 69.5% compare
- 6 Madagascar 69.4% compare
- 7 Chad 69.1% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Lao People's Democratic Republic
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 9.89 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1662 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 386.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0583 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5969 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 16.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 16.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 10.3% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 4.6% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
- Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Lao People's Democratic Republic was 69.6% in 2023, according to ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
- The highest recorded value was 86.5% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
- The lowest recorded value was 61.0% in 2017.
- How does Lao People's Democratic Republic rank for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas?
- Lao People's Democratic Republic ranks 4th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lao People's Democratic Republic data come from?
- The figures come from ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of people employed in agriculture includes working-age people with a job in farming, forestry, fishing, and related activities, including those temporarily absent.