Lao PDR: Vitamin A supplementation coverage rate (% of children ages 6-59 months)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, Lao PDR's vitamin A supplementation coverage rate (% of children ages 6-59 months) rose 2 percentage points on 2021 (from 34% to 36%).

Across the 14 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2021), the average change was −1 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 19.96 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above 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 40 percentage points in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 45 percentage points in 2012. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is downward, about 6.59 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 91% of the movement over 8 observed years.

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

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Lao PDR in the 2022 ranking

• Cambodia — 2nd of 9: 61%
• Senegal — 3rd of 9: 57%
• Eswatini — 4th of 9: 51%
• Comoros — 6th of 9: 16%
• Papua New Guinea — 7th of 9: 13%
• Yemen, Rep. — 8th of 9: 11%

What this measures

Vitamin A supplementation coverage rate refers to the percentage of children ages 6-59 months old receiving two high-dose vitamin A supplements in a calendar year.

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

All 19 values

Vitamin A supplementation coverage rate (% of children ages 6-59 months) in nearby economies

• Cambodia — 61% (2022)
• Korea, Dem. People's Rep. — 77% (2023)
• Myanmar — 93% (2019)
• Papua New Guinea — 13% (2022)
• Philippines — 10% (2023)
• Timor-Leste — 65% (2020)

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)

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Questions people ask

What is Lao PDR's vitamin A supplementation coverage rate (% of children ages 6-59 months)?

36% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2001?

It is down 34 percentage points from 70% in 2001. The highest value was 92% in 2011 and the lowest 34% in 2021.

Is the latest change in vitamin A supplementation coverage rate (% of children ages 6-59 months) unusual for Lao PDR?

In 2022, Lao PDR's vitamin A supplementation coverage rate (% of children ages 6-59 months) rose 2 percentage points on 2021 (from 34% to 36%). Across the 14 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2021), the average change was −1 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 19.96 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above 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 SN.ITK.VITA.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: UNICEF Global Databases, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), uri: https://data.unicef.org/topic/nutrition/vitamin-a-deficiency/, note: based on administrative reports from countries 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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