13 indicators
Trade & investment: Laos in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within East Asia & Pacific; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ExportsExports of goods and services, % of GDP | 33.2%2016 | — | — | 30.7% | 35.4% | · | −4.9 ppsince 2006 | 32.5% | 23.2% | 29.5% | |
| ImportsImports of goods and services, % of GDP | 41.9%2016 | — | — | 38.2% | 49.3% | · | −1.9 ppsince 2006 | 28.5% | 26.3% | 28.5% | |
| Trade opennessTrade, % of GDP | 75.1%2016 | — | — | 68.8% | 84.7% | · | −6.9 ppsince 2006 | 63.8% | 46.6% | 68.5% | |
| Current accountCurrent account balance, % of GDP | 11.1%2025 | 20/185 | 8/29 | -0.5% | 0.4% | -1.6% | +26.8 ppsince 2015 | — | — | — | |
| Merchandise exportsMerchandise exports, current US$ | $12.4bn2025 | 95/206 | 17/37 | $330m | $1.7bn | $6.1bn | +239%since 2015 | $9.2tn | $1.1tn | $26.4tn | |
| High-tech exportsHigh-technology exports, % of manufactured exports | 7.4%2023 | 83/170 | 17/25 | · | 6.3% | 23.2% | −2.4 ppsince 2013 | 34.6% | 14.7% | 24.7% | |
| Fuel exportsFuel exports, % of merchandise exports | 1.8%2023 | 106/172 | 13/25 | · | 0.9% | 16.9% | +1.2 ppsince 2013 | 4.2% | 24.8% | 9.5% | |
| Food exportsFood exports, % of merchandise exports | 23.2%2023 | 64/172 | 7/25 | · | 24.3% | 28.1% | +9.1 ppsince 2013 | 4.4% | 13.8% | 9.0% | |
| Average tariffApplied tariff rate, weighted mean, all products | 1.4%2022 | 139/184 | 22/29 | 14.1% | 13.2%2008 | 1.0% | −11.7 ppsince 2008 | — | — | — | |
| FDI inflowsForeign direct investment, net inflows, % of GDP | 7.7%2025 | 26/197 | 7/32 | 2.0% | 3.9% | 5.1% | +0.2 ppsince 2015 | 1.7% | 1.5% | 1.4% | |
| RemittancesPersonal remittances received, % of GDP | 2.6%2025 | 83/178 | 12/26 | 0.0% | 0.6% | 1.2% | +1.3 ppsince 2015 | 0.4% | 5.8% | 0.8% | |
| Tourist arrivalsInternational tourist arrivals | 886,4002020 | 104/196 | 17/35 | 737,000 | 2.5m | 886,400 | −65%since 2010 | 491m | 208m | 2.4bn | |
| Tourism receiptsInternational tourism receipts, current US$ | $227m2020 | 122/177 | 18/31 | $108m2001 | $385m | $227m | −41%since 2010 | — | $145bn | $1.9tn |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
neighbours
Laos and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Laos. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Laos | China | Vietnam | Thailand | Myanmar | Cambodia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exports | 33.2%2016 | 21.1%2025 | 98.2%2025 | 71.1%2025 | — | 68.6%2025 |
| Imports | 41.9%2016 | 16.9%2025 | 92.1%2025 | 67.3%2025 | — | 67.4%2025 |
| Trade openness | 75.1%2016 | 38.0%2025 | 190.3%2025 | 138.4%2025 | — | 136.1%2025 |
| Current account | 11.1%2025 | 3.8%2025 | 6.4%2025 | 3.0%2025 | 0.1%2019 | -3.7%2025 |
| Merchandise exports | $12.4bn2025 | $3.8tn2025 | $473bn2025 | $340bn2025 | $15.3bn2025 | $31.3bn2025 |
| High-tech exports | 7.4%2023 | 26.3%2024 | 44.3%2023 | 28.3%2024 | 5.2%2024 | 5.3%2024 |
| Fuel exports | 1.8%2023 | 1.4%2025 | 1.0%2023 | 2.4%2025 | 21.5%2025 | 0.0%2024 |
| Food exports | 23.2%2023 | 2.3%2025 | 9.4%2023 | 13.3%2025 | 28.6%2025 | 15.4%2024 |
| Average tariff | 1.4%2022 | 2.2%2022 | 1.1%2022 | 3.7%2022 | 0.8%2022 | 7.2%2022 |