Share of women using contraceptives in Laos
Laos: Share of women using contraceptives was 56.3% in 2017. ▲ Rising
Share of women using contraceptives in Laos, 1993–2017
Source: Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), and UN Population Division, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of women ages 15-49.
Analysis
Laos recorded 56.3% for share of women using contraceptives in 2017. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.
That represents a change of up 46.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women using contraceptives in Laos peaked at 56.3% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 18.6%, in 1993.
That places Laos 59th out of 116 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of women using contraceptives in Laos, year by year
| Year | % of women ages 15-49 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 18.6% | — |
| 1995 | 20.0% | +7.5% |
| 2000 | 32.2% | +61.0% |
| 2005 | 38.4% | +19.3% |
| 2012 | 49.6% | +29.3% |
| 2017 | 56.3% | +13.4% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 56.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 54.0%, 1.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Laos's 56.3% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 60.1%, 94% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.3% | 18.6% | 20.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 35.3% | 32.2% | 38.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 53.0% | 49.6% | 56.3% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Laos
More gender data for Laos
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 2,335 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.3716 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 6,022 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 6,022 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.71 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 77,014 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 80,573 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 76,875 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 80,330 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 76,857 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women using contraceptives in Laos?
- Share of women using contraceptives in Laos was 56.3% in 2017, according to Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), and UN Population Division, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of women using contraceptives recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 56.3% in 2017.
- What is the lowest share of women using contraceptives recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.6% in 1993.
- How does Laos rank for share of women using contraceptives?
- Laos ranks 59th out of 116 countries with data for 2017.
- Is share of women using contraceptives rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is up 46.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), and UN Population Division, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of women using contraceptives. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Contraceptive prevalence rate is the percentage of women who are practicing, or whose sexual partners are practicing, any form of contraception. It is usually measured for women ages 15-49 who are married or in union.