Lao PDR: Electric power transmission and distribution losses (% of output)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Lao PDR's electric power transmission and distribution losses (% of output) fell 0.03 percentage points on 2023 (from 5.54% to 5.51%).

Across the 23 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2023), the average change was +0.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.51 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 14.74 percentage points in 2007 and the biggest yearly fall was 15.13 percentage points in 2008. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 22% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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 100th highest value of the 109 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

• Qatar — 96th of 109: 5.69%
• Mauritius — 97th of 109: 5.65%
• United Arab Emirates — 98th of 109: 5.57%
• Madagascar — 100th of 109: 5.29%
• Armenia — 101st of 109: 5.09%
• South Sudan — 102nd of 109: 4.22%

What this measures

Electric power transmission and distribution losses include losses in transmission between sources of supply and points of distribution and in the distribution to consumers, including pilferage. The losses are expressed as a share of the total output.

Limitations: Electricity consumption is equivalent to production less power plants' own use and transmission, distribution, and transformation losses less exports plus imports. It includes consumption by auxiliary stations, losses in transformers that are considered integral parts of those stations, and electricity produced by pumping installations. Where data are available, it covers electricity generated by primary sources of energy - coal, oil, gas, nuclear, hydro, geothermal, wind, tide and wave, and combustible renewables. Neither production nor consumption data capture the reliability of supplies, including breakdowns, load factors, and frequency of outages.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average using total electricity production as weights.

All 25 values

Electric power transmission and distribution losses (% of output) in nearby economies

• Australia — 4.22% (2025)
• Brunei Darussalam — 12.7% (2024)
• Cambodia — 10.21% (2024)
• China — 3.06% (2024)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 4.21% (2024)
• Indonesia — 6.12% (2024)
• Japan — 4.61% (2025)
• Korea, Dem. People's Rep. — 15.48% (2024)
• Korea, Rep.

More environment data for Lao PDR

• Population in largest city — 755,941 (2025)
• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 23.82% (2025)
• Rural population — 4.7 million (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 59.69% (2025)
• Urban population — 3.17 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 40.31% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 153,504 (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons) — 78,795 (2024)
• Total fisheries production (metric tons) — 232,299 (2024)
• Rural population growth (annual %) — 0.06% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Lao PDR's electric power transmission and distribution losses (% of output)?

5.51% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is up 0.1 percentage points from 5.41% in 2000. The highest value was 24.01% in 2007 and the lowest 3.99% in 2020.

How does Lao PDR rank?

100th highest of 109 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in electric power transmission and distribution losses (% of output) unusual for Lao PDR?

In 2024, Lao PDR's electric power transmission and distribution losses (% of output) fell 0.03 percentage points on 2023 (from 5.54% to 5.51%). Across the 23 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2023), the average change was +0.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.51 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator EG.ELC.LOSS.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, International Energy Agency (IEA), uri: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/energy-statistics-data-browser, publisher: International Energy Agency (IEA), date accessed: 2025-03-25 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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