Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Laos
Laos: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 24.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Laos, 1993–2023
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of children under 5.
Analysis
In 2023, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Laos stood at 24.3%.
The figure is down 8.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Laos peaked at 39.8% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 21.1%, in 2017.
That places Laos 8th out of 96 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Laos, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 39.8% | — |
| 1994 | 35.9% | -9.8% |
| 2000 | 35.6% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 31.6% | -11.2% |
| 2011 | 26.6% | -15.8% |
| 2015 | 25.5% | -4.1% |
| 2017 | 21.1% | -17.3% |
| 2023 | 24.3% | +15.2% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 24.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.6%, 2.1× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Laos's 24.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 15.3%, 1.6× the median. (13 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 37.8% | 35.9% | 39.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 33.6% | 31.6% | 35.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 24.4% | 21.1% | 26.6% | 3 |
| 2020s | 24.3% | 24.3% | 24.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Laos
- 5 Burundi 28.3% compare
- 6 Democratic Republic of Congo 25.0% compare
- 7 Nigeria 24.4% compare
- 9 Pakistan 23.1% compare
- 10 Madagascar 22.6% compare
- 11 Mauritania 22.4% compare
More poverty & inequality data for Laos
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 2 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 2.42 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 4,196 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 2.31 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 10.62 (2022)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 10.6% (2022)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Laos?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Laos was 24.3% in 2023, according to Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 39.8% in 1993.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.1% in 2017.
- How does Laos rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- Laos ranks 8th out of 96 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Underweight children are those less than 5 years old, whose weight for age is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference population. Extreme poverty is defined as living below the International Poverty Line of $3 per day.