Labor force, total in Laos
Laos: Labor force, total was 3.65 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force, total in Laos, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
Analysis
In 2025, labor force, total in Laos stood at 3.65 million. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 33.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, total in Laos peaked at 3.65 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.51 million, in 1990.
Laos ranks 99th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.69 million | 1.51 million | 1.87 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.12 million | 1.90 million | 2.39 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.72 million | 2.45 million | 3.07 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.44 million | 3.16 million | 3.65 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Laos
More education data for Laos
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 29.8% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 93.1% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers 21,845 (2025)
- School enrollment, primary, female 92.6% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary, male 93.6% (2025)
- Labor force, female 46.7% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index 0.9723 GPI (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force, total in Laos?
- Labor force, total in Laos was 3.65 million in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
- What is the highest labor force, total recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 3.65 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force, total recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.51 million in 1990.
- How does Laos rank for labor force, total?
- Laos ranks 99th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, total rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database, published as part of Labor force, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Labor force comprises people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave.