Lao PDR: Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, Lao PDR's over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) fell 2.12 percentage points on 2017 (from 12.72% to 10.61%).

Across the 23 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2017), the average change was −1.19 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.87 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.48 percentage points in 2005 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.45 percentage points in 2016. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2009 to 2018 the straight-line trend is downward, about 1.62 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 99% 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.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 7.22% for 2021. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2016 to 2018 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 2.69%, against 4.17% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2018, Lao PDR had the 24th highest value of the 77 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 2018 ranking

• Morocco — 21st of 77: 12.98%
• Bhutan — 22nd of 77: 11.54%
• Dominican Republic — 23rd of 77: 11.11%
• Guatemala — 25th of 77: 10.31%
• Cabo Verde — 26th of 77: 10.2%
• Myanmar — 27th of 77: 8.75%

What this measures

Over-age students are the percentage of those enrolled who are older than the official school-age range for primary education.

All 28 values

Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) in nearby economies

• Australia — 3.79% (2017)
• Brunei Darussalam — 4.08% (2018)
• Cambodia — 13.9% (2018)
• Fiji — 2.93% (2016)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 2.57% (2018)
• Indonesia — 1.32% (2018)
• Kiribati — 3.41% (2017)
• Korea, Rep. — 0.76% (2017)
• Macao SAR, China — 3.99% (2018)
• Malaysia — 0.24% (2017)

More education data for Lao PDR

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 11 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 739,554 (2025)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 93.14% (2025)
• Primary education, teachers — 21,845 (2025)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 92.64% (2025)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 93.63% (2025)
• Primary education, teachers (% female) — 54.89% (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Lao PDR's over-age students, primary (% of enrollment)?

10.61% in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1988?

It is down 25.98 percentage points from 36.58% in 1988. The highest value was 39.47% in 1992 and the lowest 10.61% in 2018.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.OENR.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) 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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