Lao PDR Data Hub
Welcome to our interactive platform designed to visualize the latest data from the 2023 Lao Social Indicator Survey (LSIS III).
What is the Lao Social Indicator Survey (LSIS III)?
The 2023 Lao Social Indicator Survey (LSIS III) is the latest in the series of surveys in Lao PDR aimed at providing high-quality data for assessing the situation of children, adolescents, women and households in the country.
The LSIS III was carried out from March to September 2023 by the Lao Statistics Bureau, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Sports, the survey was funded by the Government of Laos, UNICEF, the European Union, the Australian Government, the Government of Luxembourg and UNFPA, with technical support from UNICEF’s global MICS team.
Using the 2021 village list from the Lao Statistics Bureau, LSIS III selected households from all 18 provinces to ensure a representative picture of the country. It covered 21,000 households in three types of areas—urban, rural with roads, and rural without roads. Survey teams interviewed a responsible adult in each household, as well as women and men aged 15–49, and children under five and aged 5–17 in selected households.
Other Resources:
Four Core Challenges Facing Lao PDR’s Children
Children in Lao PDR face significant inequities in health and nutrition, education, protection and climate resilience, making these areas urgent priority in the work of UNICEF in Lao PDR.
(1) The First 1,000 Days
The first 1,000 days—from conception to a child’s second birthday—form a critical window that shapes lifelong well-being. Adequate nutrition and healthcare during this period have a profound impact on brain development, immunity and growth. A mother’s health and nutrition directly affect her baby’s outcomes, and undernutrition in pregnancy remains a major driver of stunting (chronic malnutrition). Ensuring good health in these early days lays the foundation for children’s cognitive and physical development, yielding benefits that last well into adulthood and ultimately benefit society.
What the Data Tells Us
One in three children under five is stunted. The disparities are stark: while stunting rates are about 17 per cent in urban Vientiane, they soar to 46 per cent in Xiengkhouang—four times higher. Four provinces now have “very high” stunting levels exceeding 40 per cent.
More than one in ten children under five are suffering from acute malnutrition.
Only about 70 per cent of pregnant women nationwide manage four prenatal visits.
Most infants get at least one vaccine—like the BCG shot for tuberculosis—fewer than half complete the full series needed to keep polio and other preventable diseases at bay.
Other Resources
- LSIS III Birth Registration Snapshot
- LSIS III Child Mortality Snapshot
- LSIS III Fertility and Family Planning Snapshot
- LSIS III Vaccinations Snapshot
- LSIS III Maternal and Newborn Health Snapshot
- LSIS III Child Health and Care of Illness Snapshot
- LSIS III Nutritional Status of Children Snapshot
- LSIS III Infant and Young Child Feeding Snapshot
- LSIS III WASH Snapshot
(2) Learning and Skills for the Future
Lao PDR faces a crisis in education quality: enrolment is up, but many children are not mastering foundational skills and few are staying in school. Continuing the current trajectory means large numbers of children will enter adulthood without essential skills to participate meaningfully in the modern economy.
Geography, ethnicity, and socio-economic status often determine a child’s educational fate. Children in remote rural villages—particularly those without road access—are much less likely to attend preschool or progress through secondary school.
What the Data Tells Us
Early Child Development Index
Only six out of 10 children aged 2-4 years are developmentally on track in health, learning, and psychosocial well-being. Children who are not enrolled in early childhood education (ECE) have almost twice lower developmental progress than those enrolled in ECE.
Similarly, children from less wealthy households or those whose mothers have lower education levels are less likely to be developmentally on track.
Close to 450,000 secondary school age children are out of school, At the upper secondary level, youth in rural areas are more than twice as likely to be out of school as their urban peers, with only 33 per cent attending compared to 64 per cent in urban areas.
By grade three, only around one-fifth of students read at expected level.
Children from different ethnolinguistic groups, particularly those in highland areas who do not speak Lao at home, face additional language barriers, contributing to lower foundational reading and numeracy skills.
Other Resources
- LSIS III Child Discipline Snapshot
- LSIS III Child Functioning Snapshot
- LSIS III Child Labour Snapshot
- LSIS III Early Grade Learning and Parental Involvement Snapshot
- LSIS III Early Childhood Education (ECD) Snapshot
- LSIS III Education Snapshot
- LSIS III Nutritional Status of Children Snapshot
- LSIS III WASH Snapshot
- EMIS
(3) Adolescent Empowerment
During adolescence (10–19 years old), children and adolescents face risks that can derail their futures. In Lao PDR, common challenges include early marriage, teenage pregnancy, child labour, violence and exploitation—especially for girls. These experiences violate their rights and deprive them of a safe, healthy transition to adulthood. The focus here is on preventing harm—particularly for adolescent girls—and creating opportunities for them to thrive. Adolescence should be a period of growth and learning, not one of premature adult responsibilities or abuse.
What the Data Tells Us
One third of women are married before age 18. In some provinces the rate is over 50 per cent.
Lao PDR’s adolescent birth rate is 89 per 1,000 girls aged 15–19, with significant disparities: Hmong-Mien adolescents experience the highest rate (197 per 1,000), compared to 49 per 1,000 among Lao-Tai girls.
Violence against children in Lao PDR remains widespread. Nearly one in three children aged 1-14 years experience physical punishment, while nearly two in three children are subjected to psychological aggression. More than 60 per cent of children experience at least one form of violent discipline at home.
Other Resources
- LSIS III Child Marriage Snapshot
- LSIS III Adolescent Snapshot
- LSIS III Child Discipline Snapshot
- LSIS III Child Labour Snapshot
- LSIS III Child Functioning Snapshot
- LSIS III Fertility and Family Planning Snapshot
- LSIS III HIV and Sexual Behaviour Snapshot
- LSIS III Infant and Young Child Feeding Snapshot
- LSIS III WASH Snapshot
(4) Climate Change
Climate change is already amplifying vulnerabilities faced by children in Lao PDR and around the world. Extreme weather events—such as heatwaves, floods, storms, and drought—destroy crops, contaminate water sources, damage schools and health centres, and threaten children’s health and nutrition. These challenges particularly affect the poorest, most isolated communities, where children are often already at high risk. Climate change thus multiplies existing inequalities and poses one of the gravest threats to child development.