Lao PDR
Last updated May 3, 2026
Composite GEFRI Score
Severely underprepared
Lao PDR shows severely limited readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (24th percentile worldwide). Key structural conditions limit capacity to plan, implement, and sustain forward-looking reforms. Higher scores indicate a system that is better prepared to anticipate and shape the future of learning.
- Global percentile
- 24th
- Global rank
- #136
- Regional rank
- #22
- Viewing data for
Country profile
Lao PDR trails global peers in GEFRI Composite (32, 24th percentile), Human Capital (29, 16th percentile), and Governance (27, 16th percentile). A coordinated reform effort is needed to strengthen education futures readiness.
Uneven scores across dimensions highlight areas that need targeted coordination. Literacy or tertiary enrollment gaps thin the talent pipeline and limit the country’s capacity to develop future-ready skills.
Sparse R&D investment and a small research workforce slow experimentation and delay new ideas from reaching learners. Policy execution and regulatory capacity remain weak, leaving reforms fragmented and hard to sustain. Gender parity leans toward boys in secondary pathways, signalling persistent barriers for girls.
Infrastructure presents a near-term leapfrog opportunity: performance is just below the global average, backed by enough observed data to support forward planning. Regionally, School Access and Gender Parity lags peers the most, signalling where investment could have the highest impact.
Note: Most indicators rely on observed data, offering a dependable evidence base for decisions.
Key insights
- Falls below many peers at the 24th percentile.
- Places 136th worldwide.
- Holds a regional position of 22nd within East Asia & Pacific.
- Scores range from Infrastructure (52.3) to Access & Parity (10.0), reflecting variation across dimensions.
- Trails regional peers most clearly in Access & Parity.
Regional peers: East Asia & Pacific
Composite GEFRI Score
| Global rank | Regional rank | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | Hong Kong SAR, China | 78.84 |
| 3 | 2 | Korea, Rep. | 78.17 |
| 4 | 3 | Singapore | 77.81 |
| 12 | 4 | Australia | 75.95 |
| 13 | 5 | Japan | 75.88 |
| 19 | 6 | New Zealand | 73.08 |
| — | — | NauruMicrostate | 61.59 |
| — | — | Northern Mariana IslandsMicrostate | 61.43 |
| 48 | 7 | Brunei Darussalam | 61.13 |
| — | — | American SamoaMicrostate | 61.09 |
| 49 | 8 | Macao SAR, China | 61.06 |
| — | — | GuamMicrostate | 60.74 |
| 50 | 9 | Thailand | 60.74 |
| 53 | 10 | Indonesia | 60.55 |
| 55 | 11 | Fiji | 60.34 |
| — | — | New CaledoniaMicrostate | 59.24 |
| — | — | French PolynesiaMicrostate | 58.11 |
| — | — | PalauMicrostate | 57.53 |
| 67 | 12 | Viet Nam | 57.46 |
| 69 | 13 | Mongolia | 57.00 |
| 73 | 14 | Malaysia | 56.66 |
| 77 | 15 | China | 55.08 |
| 85 | 16 | Philippines | 52.64 |
| — | — | SamoaMicrostate | 51.59 |
| — | — | TuvaluFCSMicrostate | 49.72 |
| — | — | TongaMicrostate | 48.28 |
| — | — | KiribatiFCSMicrostate | 46.97 |
| — | — | Marshall IslandsFCSMicrostate | 46.38 |
| — | — | Micronesia, Fed. Sts.FCSMicrostate | 42.67 |
| 110 | 17 | Timor-LesteFCS | 41.47 |
| 111 | 18 | Vanuatu | 41.25 |
| 122 | 19 | Korea, Dem. People's Rep. | 36.56 |
| 127 | 20 | Cambodia | 33.92 |
| 128 | 21 | MyanmarFCS | 33.78 |
| 136 | 22 | Lao PDR | 31.66 |
| 138 | 23 | Solomon IslandsFCS | 31.58 |
| 151 | 24 | Papua New GuineaFCS | 26.21 |