Lao PDR: Antiretroviral therapy coverage for PMTCT (% of pregnant women living with HIV)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Lao PDR's antiretroviral therapy coverage for PMTCT (% of pregnant women living with HIV) rose 19 percentage points on 2023 (from 49% to 68%).

Across the 23 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2023), the average change was +2.13 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.7 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 19 percentage points in 2024 and the biggest yearly fall was 9 percentage points in 2014. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 4.5 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 77% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Lao PDR had the 48th highest value of the 76 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Lao PDR in the 2024 ranking

• Burkina Faso — 46th of 76: 69%
• Central African Republic — 47th of 76: 69%
• Dominican Republic — 48th of 76: 68%
• El Salvador — 50th of 76: 66%
• Suriname — 51st of 76: 66%
• Burundi — 52nd of 76: 65%

What this measures

Percentage of pregnant women with HIV who receive antiretroviral medicine for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT).

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 25 values

Antiretroviral therapy coverage for PMTCT (% of pregnant women living with HIV) in nearby economies

• Cambodia — 97% (2024)
• Fiji — 57% (2024)
• Malaysia — 99% (2024)
• Myanmar — 54% (2024)
• Papua New Guinea — 28% (2024)
• Philippines — 16% (2024)
• Thailand — 97% (2024)
• Viet Nam — 85% (2024)

More health data for Lao PDR

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 9.83% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 10.18% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 1.15 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 29.38% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 1.2 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 30.29% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 2.35 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 29.84% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 9.97% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Lao PDR's antiretroviral therapy coverage for PMTCT (% of pregnant women living with HIV)?

68% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is up 68 percentage points from 0% in 2000. The highest value was 68% in 2024 and the lowest 0% in 2000.

How does Lao PDR rank?

48th highest of 76 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in antiretroviral therapy coverage for PMTCT (% of pregnant women living with HIV) unusual for Lao PDR?

In 2024, Lao PDR's antiretroviral therapy coverage for PMTCT (% of pregnant women living with HIV) rose 19 percentage points on 2023 (from 49% to 68%). Across the 23 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2023), the average change was +2.13 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.7 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH.HIV.PMTC.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: UNAIDS estimates, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), uri: https://aidsinfo.unaids.org/, publisher: UNAIDS, date accessed: 2025-08-27, date published: 2025-07 Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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