Lao PDR: Secondary education, general pupils

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, Lao PDR's secondary education, general pupils rose 0.1% on 2017 (from 670,567 to 671,064).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1984 to 2017), the average change was +6.4% and a typical year strayed about 4.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 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 42.4% in 1977 and the biggest yearly fall was 7.6% in 1992. 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 upward, about 31,236 a year. A straight line explains 97% 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 782,506 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 19,715, against 35,457 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 37th highest value of the 85 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

• Jordan — 34th of 85: 766,641
• West Bank and Gaza — 35th of 85: 759,599
• Togo — 36th of 85: 711,617
• Kyrgyz Republic — 38th of 85: 620,568
• Burundi — 39th of 85: 606,024
• Cuba — 40th of 85: 587,467

What this measures

Secondary general pupils are the number of secondary students enrolled in general education programs, including teacher training.

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

All 44 values

Secondary education, general pupils in nearby economies

• Australia — 1.68 million (2017)
• Brunei Darussalam — 38,822 (2018)
• Cambodia — 955,656 (2018)
• China — 68.39 million (2018)
• Fiji — 92,262 (2016)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 341,591 (2018)
• Indonesia — 19.99 million (2018)
• Kiribati — 9,548 (2017)
• Korea, Rep. — 2.78 million (2017)
• Macao SAR, China — 25,672 (2018)
• Malaysia

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 secondary education, general pupils?

671,064 in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 6,593% from 10,026 in 1971 (9.36% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 671,064 in 2018 and the lowest 10,026 in 1971.

How does Lao PDR rank?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.ENRL.GC, 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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