Share of female sole proprietors (% of sole proprietors) in Laos
Laos: Share of female sole proprietors (% of sole proprietors) was 31.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of female sole proprietors in Laos, 2014–2024
Source: World Bank's Entrepreneurship Survey and database (https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship). Downloaded on May 2, 2026. Measured in % of sole proprietors.
Analysis
In 2024, share of female sole proprietors in Laos stood at 31.3%. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
That represents a change of down 7.6% on the previous year and down 23.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of female sole proprietors in Laos peaked at 42.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 31.3%, in 2024.
Laos ranks 59th of 78 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Share of female sole proprietors (% of sole proprietors) in Laos, year by year
| Year | % of sole proprietors | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 41.0% | — |
| 2015 | 38.4% | -6.2% |
| 2016 | 40.9% | +6.6% |
| 2017 | 38.3% | -6.4% |
| 2018 | 41.3% | +7.9% |
| 2019 | 40.0% | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 42.1% | +5.2% |
| 2021 | 38.7% | -8.1% |
| 2022 | 41.3% | +6.9% |
| 2023 | 33.9% | -18.1% |
| 2024 | 31.3% | -7.6% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 31.3% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 32.3%, 97% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
- Laos's 31.3% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 44.8%, 70% of the median. (10 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 40.0% | 38.3% | 41.3% | 6 |
| 2020s | 37.4% | 31.3% | 42.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Laos
More private sector data for Laos
- Merchandise trade 124.1% (2025)
- Food imports 12.7% (2023)
- Manufactures imports 61.7% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 10.34 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 1.65 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 23.2% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 32.8% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 12.38 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 1.83 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 1,572 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of female sole proprietors in Laos?
- Share of female sole proprietors in Laos was 31.3% in 2024, according to World Bank's Entrepreneurship Survey and database (https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship). Downloaded on May 2, 2026.
- What is the highest share of female sole proprietors recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 42.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of female sole proprietors recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.3% in 2024.
- How does Laos rank for share of female sole proprietors?
- Laos ranks 59th out of 78 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of female sole proprietors rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank's Entrepreneurship Survey and database (https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship). Downloaded on May 2, 2026, published as part of Share of female sole proprietors (% of sole proprietors). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of female sole proprietors is the proportion of female newly registered sole proprietors out of the total number of newly registered sole proprietors in the economy in the calendar year. A sole proprietorship is a business entity owned and managed by a single individual who is indistinguishable from the business and personally liable.