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Science in Laos

Laos ranks #79 of 189 countries on research quality in 2022-now (#88 all time), with 1.2k research works and 7.2% of them in the world's top 10%.

World rank, 2022-now
#79
of 189 · #88 all time
Works, 2022-now
1.2k
▲ 81% vs 2018-21
Citations
47k
11.8 per fractional work, all time
Top-10% rate
7.2%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
0.96×
1.00× is exactly expected
In the world top 100
0
0 in the top 1,000
Open access
66%
world 40%
International
56%
world 18%

Which fields of science does Laos work in?

In 2022-now, 29% of research in Laos is in Social Sciences, 25% in Life Sciences. Its largest fields are Medicine (16%), Social Sciences (16%), Agricultural and Biological Sciences (15%). It does 1.9× the world's share of Life Sciences.

Social Sciences: 430 fractional works · 29.1% of its workSocial Sciences: 229 fractional works · 15.5% of its workSociology and Political Science: 65 fractional works · 4.4% of its workEducation: 58 fractional works · 3.9% of its workPolitical Science and International Relations: 33 fractional works · 2.2% of its workTransportation: 16 fractional works · 1.1% of its workDemography: 12 fractional works · 0.8% of its workSafety Research: 7 fractional works · 0.5% of its workHealth: 7 fractional works · 0.5% of its workUrban Studies: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workHuman Factors and Ergonomics: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workLaw: 4 fractional works · 0.2% of its workGeography, Planning and Development: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workGender Studies: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 14 fractional works · 0.9% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 59 fractional works · 4.0% of its workEconomics and Econometrics: 47 fractional works · 3.2% of its workGeneral Economics, Econometrics and Finance: 7 fractional works · 0.5% of its workFinance: 5 fractional works · 0.4% of its workBusiness, Management and Accounting: 50 fractional works · 3.4% of its workStrategy and Management: 17 fractional works · 1.2% of its workOrganizational Behavior and Human Resource Management: 10 fractional works · 0.7% of its workMarketing: 6 fractional works · 0.4% of its workAccounting: 5 fractional works · 0.4% of its workManagement of Technology and Innovation: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 6 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPsychology: 40 fractional works · 2.7% of its workSocial Psychology: 13 fractional works · 0.9% of its workClinical Psychology: 13 fractional works · 0.9% of its workDevelopmental and Educational Psychology: 8 fractional works · 0.6% of its workApplied Psychology: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workArts and Humanities: 38 fractional works · 2.5% of its workLanguage and Linguistics: 6 fractional works · 0.4% of its workLiterature and Literary Theory: 6 fractional works · 0.4% of its workArcheology: 5 fractional works · 0.3% of its workHistory: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workVisual Arts and Performing Arts: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPhilosophy: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 10 fractional works · 0.7% of its workDecision Sciences: 14 fractional works · 1.0% of its workInformation Systems and Management: 5 fractional works · 0.4% of its workManagement Science and Operations Research: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workStatistics, Probability and Uncertainty: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workLife Sciences: 367 fractional works · 24.8% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 224 fractional works · 15.2% of its workPlant Science: 70 fractional works · 4.7% of its workEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics: 33 fractional works · 2.2% of its workFood Science: 29 fractional works · 2.0% of its workGeneral Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 18 fractional works · 1.2% of its workInsect Science: 17 fractional works · 1.2% of its workAgronomy and Crop Science: 15 fractional works · 1.0% of its workSoil Science: 15 fractional works · 1.0% of its workForestry: 10 fractional works · 0.7% of its workAnimal Science and Zoology: 10 fractional works · 0.7% of its workAquatic Science: 6 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 87 fractional works · 5.9% of its workMolecular Biology: 46 fractional works · 3.1% of its workGenetics: 17 fractional works · 1.1% of its workCell Biology: 5 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEndocrinology: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workCancer Research: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workMolecular Medicine: 4 fractional works · 0.2% of its workBiotechnology: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workImmunology and Microbiology: 38 fractional works · 2.6% of its workParasitology: 15 fractional works · 1.0% of its workImmunology: 10 fractional works · 0.7% of its workMicrobiology: 5 fractional works · 0.3% of its workApplied Microbiology and Biotechnology: 5 fractional works · 0.3% of its workVirology: 4 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 10 fractional works · 0.7% of its workPharmacology: 9 fractional works · 0.6% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workNeuroscience: 8 fractional works · 0.5% of its workCognitive Neuroscience: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPhysical Sciences: 363 fractional works · 24.6% of its workEnvironmental Science: 143 fractional works · 9.7% of its workGlobal and Planetary Change: 27 fractional works · 1.8% of its workEcology: 22 fractional works · 1.5% of its workWater Science and Technology: 17 fractional works · 1.2% of its workManagement, Monitoring, Policy and Law: 14 fractional works · 0.9% of its workNature and Landscape Conservation: 13 fractional works · 0.9% of its workHealth, Toxicology and Mutagenesis: 12 fractional works · 0.8% of its workPollution: 12 fractional works · 0.8% of its workEnvironmental Engineering: 11 fractional works · 0.8% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 8 fractional works · 0.5% of its workEnvironmental Chemistry: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.1% of its workEngineering: 88 fractional works · 5.9% of its workElectrical and Electronic Engineering: 14 fractional works · 1.0% of its workBiomedical Engineering: 13 fractional works · 0.9% of its workCivil and Structural Engineering: 11 fractional works · 0.8% of its workMechanical Engineering: 8 fractional works · 0.6% of its workAerospace Engineering: 8 fractional works · 0.5% of its workBuilding and Construction: 7 fractional works · 0.5% of its workMechanics of Materials: 6 fractional works · 0.4% of its workOcean Engineering: 5 fractional works · 0.3% of its workControl and Systems Engineering: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workAutomotive Engineering: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 9 fractional works · 0.6% of its workComputer Science: 57 fractional works · 3.8% of its workInformation Systems: 24 fractional works · 1.6% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 14 fractional works · 1.0% of its workComputer Science Applications: 5 fractional works · 0.3% of its workComputer Networks and Communications: 5 fractional works · 0.3% of its workComputer Vision and Pattern Recognition: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 6 fractional works · 0.4% of its workMaterials Science: 21 fractional works · 1.4% of its workMaterials Chemistry: 9 fractional works · 0.6% of its workBiomaterials: 6 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 6 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEarth and Planetary Sciences: 15 fractional works · 1.0% of its workAtmospheric Science: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 12 fractional works · 0.8% of its workEnergy: 11 fractional works · 0.7% of its workRenewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment: 9 fractional works · 0.6% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.1% of its workMathematics: 11 fractional works · 0.7% of its workModeling and Simulation: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workApplied Mathematics: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workStatistics and Probability: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workChemistry: 11 fractional works · 0.7% of its workAnalytical Chemistry: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workOrganic Chemistry: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 6 fractional works · 0.4% of its workChemical Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workHealth Sciences: 318 fractional works · 21.5% of its workMedicine: 234 fractional works · 15.8% of its workPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health: 40 fractional works · 2.7% of its workEpidemiology: 33 fractional works · 2.2% of its workPediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health: 27 fractional works · 1.8% of its workInfectious Diseases: 22 fractional works · 1.5% of its workPharmacology: 10 fractional works · 0.7% of its workSurgery: 8 fractional works · 0.6% of its workRadiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging: 7 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPulmonary and Respiratory Medicine: 6 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPhysiology: 6 fractional works · 0.4% of its workObstetrics and Gynecology: 6 fractional works · 0.4% of its workHepatology: 5 fractional works · 0.3% of its workOncology: 5 fractional works · 0.3% of its workComplementary and alternative medicine: 5 fractional works · 0.3% of its workBiochemistry: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEndocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEmergency Medicine: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workCardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPathology and Forensic Medicine: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPsychiatry and Mental health: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workHealth Informatics: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workNeurology: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 22 fractional works · 1.5% of its workHealth Professions: 54 fractional works · 3.6% of its workGeneral Health Professions: 30 fractional works · 2.0% of its workHealth Information Management: 7 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSpeech and Hearing: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEmergency Medical Services: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 10 fractional works · 0.7% of its workNursing: 17 fractional works · 1.2% of its workNutrition and Dietetics: 16 fractional works · 1.1% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workVeterinary: 7 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmall Animals: 7 fractional works · 0.5% of its workDentistry: 6 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPeriodontics: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.1% of its workALL ITS WORKLaos1,478fractional works, 2022-now
Life Sciences25%Physical Sciences25%Health Sciences21%Social Sciences29%

Each ring splits the one inside it: the four domains of science, their fields, their subfields. Size is fractional works in 2022-now. Every slice is a page; the interactive view zooms down to single topics and colours each by how much more of it this country does than the world.

Its 4 domains and 26 fields, with their numbers
    1. Social Sciences22915.5%
    2. Economics, Econometrics and Finance594.0%
    3. Business, Management and Accounting503.4%
    4. Psychology402.7%
    5. Arts and Humanities382.5%
    6. Decision Sciences141.0%
    1. Agricultural and Biological Sciences22415.2%
    2. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology875.9%
    3. Immunology and Microbiology382.6%
    4. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics100.7%
    5. Neuroscience80.5%
    1. Environmental Science1439.7%
    2. Engineering885.9%
    3. Computer Science573.8%
    4. Materials Science211.4%
    5. Earth and Planetary Sciences151.0%
    6. Energy110.7%
    7. Mathematics110.7%
    8. Chemistry110.7%
    9. Physics and Astronomy60.4%
    10. Chemical Engineering10.1%
    1. Medicine23415.8%
    2. Health Professions543.6%
    3. Nursing171.2%
    4. Veterinary70.5%
    5. Dentistry60.4%
All of science, and how each field's share has moved since 1950: the Science domain explorer

Which keywords describe research in Laos?

By fractional works in 2022-now, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Epidemiology, Climate Change, Sustainability, Biodiversity, Biogeography, Public Health, Environmental Impact and Genetic Diversity.

▲ more of its work than of the world's◆ about the world's share▼ less than the world's

Size is fractional works in 2022-now in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this country's work against its share of the world's. The 40 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Epidemiology110▲ 1.87×113 topics
  2. Climate Change94▲ 2.3×89 topics
  3. Sustainability72▲ 2.0×75 topics
  4. Public Health47▲ 2.2×58 topics
  5. Environmental Impact47▲ 1.85×48 topics
  6. Biodiversity45▲ 4.0×31 topics
  7. Globalization44▲ 1.51×67 topics
  8. Sustainable Development39▲ 1.70×59 topics
  9. Education38▲ 1.51×69 topics
  10. Economic Development33▲ 2.8×20 topics
  11. Genetic Diversity28▲ 4.3×21 topics
  12. Biogeography27▲ 6.6×19 topics
  13. Pathogenesis26▲ 3.5×22 topics
  14. Antioxidant25▲ 2.5×41 topics
  15. Immune Response24▲ 2.9×22 topics
  16. Food Security23▲ 2.9×24 topics
  17. Vaccine Development23▲ 6.0×11 topics
  18. Biodiversity Conservation22▲ 4.0×14 topics
  19. Democracy22▲ 4.3×14 topics
  20. Invasive Species22▲ 3.6×20 topics
  21. Health Education22▲ 3.5×11 topics
  22. Vaccine22▲ 3.7×11 topics
  23. Ethnic Identity20▲ 12×2 topics
  24. Medicinal Plants19▲ 3.3×18 topics
  25. Cultural Politics19▲ 19×2 topics
  26. Laos19▲ 91×1 topic
  27. Thailand19▲ 91×1 topic
  28. Anti-inflammatory18▲ 4.3×23 topics
  29. Monetary Policy18▲ 5.2×6 topics
  30. Land Use Change18▲ 4.0×8 topics
  31. Maternal Health17▲ 4.5×4 topics
  32. Economic Evaluation17▲ 9.9×2 topics
  33. Breastfeeding16▲ 4.8×3 topics
  34. Molecular Phylogeny16▲ 6.5×12 topics
  35. Financial Analysis15▲ 8.8×3 topics
  36. Market Competition15▲ 22×2 topics
  37. Asset Pricing14▲ 11×2 topics
  38. Panel Data Models14▲ 31×1 topic
  39. Stock Prices14▲ 46×1 topic
  40. Taxonomy14▲ 6.3×13 topics

Which research topics does Laos publish the most in?

Its largest topics in 2022-now are Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies, Diverse Scientific and Economic Studies, Public Health and Nutrition.

  1. 1 Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies Political Science and International Relations 19 works
  2. 2 Diverse Scientific and Economic Studies Economics and Econometrics 14 works
  3. 3 Public Health and Nutrition Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health 12 works
  4. 4 Legal and Regulatory Analysis Transportation 10 works
  5. 5 Plant and Fungal Species Descriptions Molecular Biology 9 works
  6. 6 Child Nutrition and Water Access Nutrition and Dietetics 8 works
  7. 7 Global Maternal and Child Health Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health 7 works
  8. 8 Plant Diversity and Evolution Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics 7 works
  9. 9 Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management Global and Planetary Change 7 works
  10. 10 Linguistic, Cultural, and Literary Studies Sociology and Political Science 7 works
  11. 11 Mosquito-borne diseases and control Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health 6 works
  12. 12 Social and Cultural Studies Sociology and Political Science 6 works

Which universities in Laos lead research?

National University of Laos, Rural Development Agency and Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry rank highest in Laos on research quality in 2022-now.

0%5%10%mean 5.7%fractional works (log) →share in the world top 10% →Ministry of Agricult…Rural Development Ag…Ministry of HealthNational University …
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per institution in the list below. The upper left is the interesting corner.

  1. 1National University of LaosUniversity · Vientiane · #5,769 worldwide4.6% top 10% · 362 works
  2. 2Rural Development AgencyNonprofit · Vientiane · #12,046 worldwide7.7% top 10% · 144 works
  3. 3Ministry of Agriculture and ForestryGovernment institution · Vientiane · #12,759 worldwide8.4% top 10% · 213 works
  4. 4Ministry of HealthGovernment institution · Vientiane · #14,742 worldwide6.3% top 10% · 120 works
  5. 5Souphanouvong UniversityUniversity · Luang Prabang · #17,337 worldwide3.1% top 10% · 97 works
  6. 6National Institute of Public HealthResearch facility · Vientiane · #17,893 worldwide4.1% top 10% · 99 works

The track on each row is its top-10% rate; the tick is the average of all institutions, 10.0% (how it is set): teal above it, red below.

All ranked institutions in Laos

Who are the top researchers in Laos?

Mayfong Mayxay, Paul N. Newton and Tamalee Roberts rank highest among researchers based in Laos.

  1. 1 Mayfong Mayxay #108,394 worldwide 33k citations · 323 works
  2. 2 Paul N. Newton #120,711 worldwide 47k citations · 583 works
  3. 3 Tamalee Roberts #271,991 worldwide 23k citations · 89 works
  4. 4 Koukeo Phommasone #403,495 worldwide 22k citations · 124 works
  5. 5 Thoumthone Vongvisouk #656,079 worldwide 786 citations · 32 works
  6. 6 Paul Trevor Brey #834,988 worldwide 9.5k citations · 136 works
  7. 7 Bouasy Hongvanthong #1,050,615 worldwide 5.6k citations · 74 works
  8. 8 Kongsap Akkhavong #1,056,041 worldwide 5.3k citations · 54 works
  9. 9 Sébastien Marcombe #1,087,035 worldwide 2k citations · 60 works
  10. 10 Sysavanh Phommachanh #1,123,516 worldwide 391 citations · 33 works
Top researchers in Laos

How open and international is Laos's research?

66% of its research is openly available (world: 40%), and 56% is written with international co-authors (world: 18%).

openly available66.3%not open33.7%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors55.9%domestic only44.1%

World: 18% is written across borders.

In 2022-now, 79% of its research is openly available (world 63%) and 60% is written with co-authors abroad (world 22%). Against what its own mix of topics predicts, that is 1.09× the expected open access and 2.28× the expected international share, which puts it #67 of 173 countries on openness.

How has Laos's research grown?

Output in 2022-2025 was 81% higher than in 2018-2021.

still counting1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Laos as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.0059% in 2024.

still counting0.0050%0.010%0.015%Laos0.0071% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Laos over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Over the whole record, 8.0% of its 4k works since 1950 reached the world top 10% for their field and year.

still counting10%20%all institutions10.0% in 2025Laos8.3% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's output, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for its field and year. Peak 17.5% in 2006.

Which countries have research most like Laos'?

Tanzania is Laos' closest research twin: of all countries, its research is spread across the fields most like Laos', with both strong in Nursing.

  1. 1 TanzaniaBoth strong in Nursing, Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Economics, Econometrics and Finance 0.85 Compare
  2. 2 UgandaBoth strong in Nursing, Immunology and Microbiology, Economics, Econometrics and Finance 0.85 Compare
  3. 3 TogoBoth strong in Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Nursing, Economics, Econometrics and Finance 0.85 Compare
  4. 4 MaliBoth strong in Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Nursing, Immunology and Microbiology 0.84 Compare
  5. 5 Côte d'IvoireBoth strong in Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Nursing, Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics 0.82 Compare

Similarity is the correlation of each side's location quotients across every field it publishes in, on a log scale: 1 is the same shape of research, 0 is unrelated. It ignores size. How it is measured.

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