Share of the population using the Internet in Laos
Laos: Share of the population using the Internet was 65.6% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population using the Internet in Laos, 1990–2024
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of population.
Analysis
Laos recorded 65.6% for share of the population using the internet in 2024. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and up 360.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population using the internet in Laos peaked at 65.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1990.
Laos ranks 142nd of 208 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population using the Internet in Laos, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.0% | — |
| 1998 | 0.0% | — |
| 1999 | 0.0% | +291.3% |
| 2000 | 0.1% | +193.8% |
| 2001 | 0.2% | +63.6% |
| 2002 | 0.3% | +47.5% |
| 2003 | 0.3% | +24.6% |
| 2004 | 0.4% | +8.2% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | +135.3% |
| 2006 | 1.2% | +37.6% |
| 2007 | 1.6% | +40.2% |
| 2008 | 3.5% | +116.5% |
| 2009 | 6.0% | +69.0% |
| 2010 | 7.0% | +16.7% |
| 2011 | 9.0% | +28.6% |
| 2012 | 10.7% | +19.4% |
| 2013 | 12.5% | +16.3% |
| 2014 | 14.3% | +14.1% |
| 2015 | 18.2% | +27.6% |
| 2016 | 21.9% | +20.2% |
| 2017 | 25.5% | +16.6% |
| 2018 | 36.3% | +42.2% |
| 2019 | 47.0% | +29.7% |
| 2020 | 54.0% | +14.8% |
| 2021 | 62.0% | +14.8% |
| 2022 | 64.5% | +4.1% |
| 2023 | 64.4% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 65.6% | +1.9% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 65.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 55.8%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Laos's 65.6% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 80.5%, 81% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of the population using the Internet in Laos 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | +291.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2000 | +193.8% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 3 |
| 2000s | 1.4% | 0.1% | 6.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.2% | 7.0% | 47.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 62.1% | 54.0% | 65.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Laos
- 139 Philippines 67.3% compare
- 140 El Salvador 66.5% compare
- 141 Marshall Islands 65.9% compare
- 143 Djibouti 65.3% compare
- 144 Namibia 64.9% compare
- 145 United States Virgin Islands 64.4% compare
More science & technology data for Laos
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 64.76 (2023)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 0.6476 units per person (2023)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 4.96 million (2023)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 21.51 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 2.22 % change on previous year (2023)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 3.65 % change on previous year (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 72.2 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population using the internet in Laos?
- Share of the population using the internet in Laos was 65.6% in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population using the internet recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 65.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of the population using the internet recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1990.
- How does Laos rank for share of the population using the internet?
- Laos ranks 142nd out of 208 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population using the internet rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is up 360.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population using the Internet. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the population who used the Internet in the last three months.