Out-of-pocket expenditure in Lao People's Democratic Republic
Lao People's Democratic Republic: Out-of-pocket expenditure was 44.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-pocket 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 out-of-pocket expenditure in Lao People's Democratic Republic is 44.8%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 56.3% on the previous year and down 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-pocket expenditure in Lao People's Democratic Republic peaked at 54.8% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 26.9%, in 2009.
Lao People's Democratic Republic ranks 45th of 193 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Out-of-pocket expenditure in Lao People's Democratic Republic, year by year
| Year | % of current health expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 44.8% | — |
| 2001 | 44.0% | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 49.7% | +13.0% |
| 2003 | 54.8% | +10.2% |
| 2004 | 47.3% | -13.7% |
| 2005 | 43.7% | -7.5% |
| 2006 | 41.1% | -6.0% |
| 2007 | 35.2% | -14.4% |
| 2008 | 31.4% | -10.8% |
| 2009 | 26.9% | -14.3% |
| 2010 | 36.0% | +33.8% |
| 2011 | 52.6% | +46.3% |
| 2012 | 48.6% | -7.5% |
| 2013 | 48.7% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 50.9% | +4.5% |
| 2015 | 45.4% | -10.8% |
| 2016 | 46.4% | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 46.2% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 48.5% | +5.0% |
| 2019 | 41.8% | -13.8% |
| 2020 | 41.1% | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 30.7% | -25.2% |
| 2022 | 28.7% | -6.6% |
| 2023 | 44.8% | +56.3% |
Lao People's Democratic Republic compared with similar countries
- Lao People's Democratic Republic's 44.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 37.6%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lao People's Democratic Republic's 44.8% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 12.2%, 3.7× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 41.9% | 26.9% | 54.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.5% | 36.0% | 52.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.3% | 28.7% | 44.8% | 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 out-of-pocket expenditure in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
- Out-of-pocket expenditure in Lao People's Democratic Republic was 44.8% in 2023, according to Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest out-of-pocket expenditure recorded in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
- The highest recorded value was 54.8% in 2003.
- What is the lowest out-of-pocket expenditure recorded in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.9% in 2009.
- How does Lao People's Democratic Republic rank for out-of-pocket expenditure?
- Lao People's Democratic Republic ranks 45th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-pocket expenditure rising or falling in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Out-of-pocket expenditure (% of current health expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of out-of-pocket payments of total current health expenditures. Out-of-pocket payments are spending on health directly out-of-pocket by households.