People not using safely managed drinking water sources in Laos
Laos: People not using safely managed drinking water sources was 5.04 million people in 2024. ▬ Flat
People not using safely managed drinking water sources in Laos, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2024, people not using safely managed drinking water sources in Laos stood at 5.04 million people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.8% on the previous year and down 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people not using safely managed drinking water sources in Laos peaked at 5.98 million people in 2015 and was at its lowest, 5.04 million people, in 2024.
That places Laos 45th out of 163 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
People not using safely managed drinking water sources in Laos, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 5.15 million people | — |
| 2001 | 5.15 million people | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 5.16 million people | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 5.22 million people | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 5.28 million people | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 5.34 million people | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 5.41 million people | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 5.47 million people | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 5.54 million people | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 5.60 million people | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 5.67 million people | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 5.73 million people | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 5.79 million people | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 5.85 million people | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 5.92 million people | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 5.98 million people | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 5.92 million people | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 5.85 million people | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 5.77 million people | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 5.68 million people | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 5.58 million people | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 5.46 million people | -2.1% |
| 2022 | 5.32 million people | -2.4% |
| 2023 | 5.18 million people | -2.7% |
| 2024 | 5.04 million people | -2.8% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 5.04 million people is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 7.56 million people, 67% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Laos's 5.04 million people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 97,987 people, 51.4× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.33 million people | 5.15 million people | 5.60 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.82 million people | 5.67 million people | 5.98 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.31 million people | 5.04 million people | 5.58 million people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Laos
More environment data for Laos
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.77 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.9142 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 0.4183 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit of 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people not using safely managed drinking water sources in Laos?
- People not using safely managed drinking water sources in Laos was 5.04 million people in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest people not using safely managed drinking water sources recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 5.98 million people in 2015.
- What is the lowest people not using safely managed drinking water sources recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.04 million people in 2024.
- How does Laos rank for people not using safely managed drinking water sources?
- Laos ranks 45th out of 163 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people not using safely managed drinking water sources rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of People not using safely managed drinking water sources. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
People not using safely managed drinking water sources either use unimproved drinking water sources or the improved sources they use are not located on their premises, not available when needed, or not free of contamination.