Gender Inequality Index in Laos
Laos: Gender Inequality Index was 0.475 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Gender Inequality Index in Laos, 1998–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Laos recorded 0.475 for gender inequality index in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and down 8.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender inequality index in Laos peaked at 0.605 in 1999 and was at its lowest, 0.464, in 2020.
Laos ranks 54th of 169 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Gender Inequality Index in Laos, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 0.604 | — |
| 1999 | 0.605 | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 0.6 | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 0.596 | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 0.585 | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 0.58 | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 0.575 | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 0.567 | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 0.558 | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 0.551 | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 0.55 | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 0.544 | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 0.533 | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 0.529 | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 0.521 | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 0.517 | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 0.5 | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 0.498 | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 0.485 | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 0.485 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.484 | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 0.478 | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 0.464 | -2.9% |
| 2021 | 0.476 | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 0.476 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.475 | -0.2% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 0.475 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.492, 97% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Laos's 0.475 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.35, 1.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.6045 | 0.604 | 0.605 | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.5706 | 0.544 | 0.6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.503 | 0.478 | 0.533 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4728 | 0.464 | 0.476 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Laos
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 gender inequality index in Laos?
- Gender inequality index in Laos was 0.475 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender inequality index recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 0.605 in 1999.
- What is the lowest gender inequality index recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.464 in 2020.
- How does Laos rank for gender inequality index?
- Laos ranks 54th out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gender inequality index rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender Inequality Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
This index captures gender-based disadvantage in reproductive health, empowerment and the labor market; ranges from 0 (full equality) to 1 (maximum inequality), representing the share of potential human development lost because of gender gaps.