External health expenditure in Lao People's Democratic Republic
Lao People's Democratic Republic: External health expenditure was 15.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
External health expenditure in Lao People's Democratic Republic, 2000–2023
Source: Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of current health expenditure.
Analysis
The most recent figure for external health expenditure in Lao People's Democratic Republic is 15.4%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 57.7% on the previous year and down 19.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external health expenditure in Lao People's Democratic Republic peaked at 38.0% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 9.8%, in 2000.
Lao People's Democratic Republic ranks 46th of 177 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
External health expenditure in Lao People's Democratic Republic, year by year
| Year | % of current health expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 9.8% | — |
| 2001 | 20.5% | +108.8% |
| 2002 | 15.6% | -23.8% |
| 2003 | 13.9% | -11.1% |
| 2004 | 22.4% | +60.9% |
| 2005 | 20.2% | -9.6% |
| 2006 | 27.8% | +37.8% |
| 2007 | 23.7% | -14.8% |
| 2008 | 22.0% | -7.4% |
| 2009 | 19.6% | -10.8% |
| 2010 | 16.7% | -14.7% |
| 2011 | 27.6% | +65.1% |
| 2012 | 27.0% | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 19.0% | -29.7% |
| 2014 | 16.8% | -11.6% |
| 2015 | 17.0% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 18.1% | +6.8% |
| 2017 | 16.7% | -8.0% |
| 2018 | 12.5% | -25.3% |
| 2019 | 21.2% | +70.3% |
| 2020 | 17.7% | -16.7% |
| 2021 | 38.0% | +115.2% |
| 2022 | 36.3% | -4.5% |
| 2023 | 15.4% | -57.7% |
Lao People's Democratic Republic compared with similar countries
- Lao People's Democratic Republic's 15.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.8%, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lao People's Democratic Republic's 15.4% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 10.3%, 1.5× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where External health expenditure in Lao People's Democratic Republic changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +115.2% | 17.7% | 38.0% |
| 2001 | +108.8% | 9.8% | 20.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 19.6% | 9.8% | 27.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.3% | 12.5% | 27.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.8% | 15.4% | 38.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lao People's Democratic Republic
More health data for Lao People's Democratic Republic
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.76 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.5667 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,260 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 317 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 15 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.5161 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0489 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.5055 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external health expenditure in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
- External health expenditure in Lao People's Democratic Republic was 15.4% in 2023, according to Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest external health expenditure recorded in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
- The highest recorded value was 38.0% in 2021.
- What is the lowest external health expenditure recorded in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.8% in 2000.
- How does Lao People's Democratic Republic rank for external health expenditure?
- Lao People's Democratic Republic ranks 46th out of 177 countries with data for 2023.
- Is external health expenditure rising or falling in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lao People's Democratic Republic data come from?
- The figures come from Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of External health expenditure (% of current health expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Share of current health expenditures funded from external sources. External sources compose of direct foreign transfers and foreign transfers distributed by government encompassing all financial inflows into the national health system from outside the country. External sources either flow through the government scheme or are channeled through non-governmental organizations or other schemes.