Lao PDR: Persistence to grade 5, male (% of cohort)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2019, Lao PDR's persistence to grade 5, male (% of cohort) fell 1.35 percentage points on 2018 (from 81.17% to 79.82%).

Across the 23 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2018), the average change was +1 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.38 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 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 9.4 percentage points in 2001 and the biggest yearly fall was 8.14 percentage points in 1998. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2010 to 2019 the straight-line trend is upward, about 1.56 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 85% 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.

Closest to Lao PDR in the 2019 ranking

• Zimbabwe — 3rd of 8: 90.84%
• Tanzania — 4th of 8: 81.85%
• Cambodia — 5th of 8: 80.72%
• Mozambique — 7th of 8: 56.87%
• Burundi — 8th of 8: 56.27%

What this measures

Persistence to grade 5 (percentage of cohort reaching grade 5) is the share of children enrolled in the first grade of primary school who eventually reach grade 5. The estimate is based on the reconstructed cohort method.

Limitations: The estimates have limitations in capturing real trend in that an observed rate will be applied to the underlying indicators such as repetition rate and promotion rate throughout the cohort life, and re-entrants, grade skipping, migration or transfers during a school year are not adequately captured.

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

All 26 values

Persistence to grade 5, male (% of cohort) in nearby economies

• Brunei Darussalam — 98.86% (2019)
• Cambodia — 80.72% (2019)
• Fiji — 94.4% (2023)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 98.35% (2023)
• Kiribati — 86.77% (2023)
• Korea, Rep. — 98.92% (2023)
• Macao SAR, China — 99.86% (2023)
• Malaysia — 88.74% (2023)
• Philippines — 93.94% (2023)
• Samoa — 92.3% (2019)

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)

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Questions people ask

What is Lao PDR's persistence to grade 5, male (% of cohort)?

79.82% in 2019, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1992?

It is up 23.37 percentage points from 56.45% in 1992. The highest value was 81.17% in 2018 and the lowest 52.67% in 1998.

Is the latest change in persistence to grade 5, male (% of cohort) unusual for Lao PDR?

In 2019, Lao PDR's persistence to grade 5, male (% of cohort) fell 1.35 percentage points on 2018 (from 81.17% to 79.82%). Across the 23 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2018), the average change was +1 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.38 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.PRS5.MA.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. 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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