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General profile: Lao People's Dem. Rep.

GENERAL INFORMATION FOR 2023
Exchange rate
Population
Population
Exchange rates
GDP
GDP
7.665 Millions
..
15 703 Millions current US$
Land area¹
Land area
CPI growth (%)
CPI growth
GDP growth
GDP growth
(q) 230 800 km²
31.23 %
3.61 %
INTERNATIONAL MERCHANDISE TRADE
More data on UNCTADstat
+2.1 %
Merchandise exports growth rate in 2023
Total merchandise trade
(millions of US$)
2005
2010
2015
2023
Merchandise exports
553
1 746
3 653
8 370
Merchandise imports
882
2 060
5 675
7 649
Merchandise trade balance
-329
-314
-2 022
721
Export structure by product group in 2023
(as % of total exports)
9 %9 %29 %29 %25 %25 %14 %14 %12 %12 %13 %13 %
Top 5 partners in 2023
(exports, millions of US$)
2 7672 3728612872242 7672 372861287224
INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN SERVICES
More data on UNCTADstat
Total trade in services²
(millions of US$)
2005
2010
2015
2023
Services exports
204
511
844
(e) 1 327
Services imports
39
263
1 078
(e) 678
Services trade balance
165
248
-234
(e) 650
Services exports by main category²
(as % of total services)
2005
2010
2015
2023
Transport
17.9
10.9
8.0
(e) 24.6
Travel
68.1
74.7
85.8
(e) 65.2
Other services
14.0
14.4
6.2
(e) 10.2
TRADE INDICES
More data on UNCTADstat
17916917816615113512811710068585654493229282815618115410210210810397100105107112122118107110117118
ECONOMIC TRENDS
More data on UNCTADstat
+3.6 %
Gross domestic product growth rate in 2023
Economic indicators
(millions of US$ unless otherwise specified)
2005
2010
2015
2023
GDP, current
2 946
7 313
14 390
15 703
GDP per capita, current US$
502
1 155
2 116
2 049
Real GDP growth, y-on-y, %
6.77
8.13
7.27
3.61
Current account balance, % of GDP
-5.90
0.40
-15.76
(e) -0.36
Exchange rate (/US$)
10 655.167
8 254.163
8 127.611
..
GDP by expenditure in 2022
(as % of total GDP)
48.013.637.834.533.848.013.637.834.533.8
FDI AND EXTERNAL FINANCIAL RESOURCES
More data on UNCTADstat
..
FDI outflows as % of GDP in 2023
Financial flows
(millions of US$ unless otherwise specified)
2005
2010
2015
2023
FDI inflows
27.70
278.80
1 077.76
1 668.16
FDI outflows
-0.09
33.45
39.70
..
Personal remittances, % of GDP
..
..
1.31
..
Financial flows trends
(millions of US$)
198.3220.8232.2296.5239.9242.7189.4189.2188.0170.41 6686361 0729687561 3581 6869351 07886868161830127919022832418728171952434FDI Inwards flowsFDI Inwards flowsFDI Inwards flowsMigrant's remittances receiptsMigrant's remittances receiptsMigrant's remittances receipts
TRADE IN GOODS AND SERVICES
More data on UNCTADstat
Trade balance indicators²
(as % and index)
2005
2010
2015
2023
Balance, % of GDP
-5.55
0.17
-15.11
(e) 8.73
Balance, % of imports
-17.77
0.58
-33.36
(e) 16.46
Normalized balance
-0.097
0.003
-0.200
(e) 0.076
Trade openness²
(sum of imports and exports as % of GDP)
1151006962767672717675586255584851516157
LIVING AREA
Population by living area in 2023
(% of population)
Urban 38%Urban 38%Rural 62%Rural 62%
OTHER INDICATORS
More data on UNCTADstat
0 %
Share of the total world merchant fleet in 2023
Maritime transport indicators
 
2005
2010
2015
2023
Merchant fleet, national flag (thousands of DWT)
..
2
2
2
Container port throughput (TEU)
..
..
..
..
Information economy indicators
(as % of)
2005
2010
2015
2023
Share of ICT goods, % of total exports
..
0.08
9.64
..
Share of ICT goods, % of total imports
..
4.55
10.62
..
Share of workforce involved in the ICT sector
..
..
..
..
Source: UN Trade and Development, UNCTADstat (https://unctadstat.unctad.org/datacentre)
Notes:
1
Land area refers to the total area of a country excluding area under inland water bodies. It differs from the country area, that includes area under inland water bodies, but excludes offshore territorial waters.
2
Statistics presented correspond to the 6th edition of the IMF Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual (BPM6, 2009).
e
Estimated.
q
Estimated. Data refers to 2020.
Symbols for missing values:
0
Zero means that the amount is nil or negligible
..
No value reported or collected
_
Not applicable
...
Not available, including no quotation
#
Non-relevant calculation
-
Not publishable
***
Negative accumulation of flows; Value included in regional and global totals
Abbreviations & acronyms:
DWT:
Dead weight tons
FDI:
Foreign direct investment
GDP:
Gross domestic product
ICT:
Information and communication technology
TEU:
Twenty foot equivalent unit
US$:
United States dollar
Disclaimer:
The designations employed and the presentation of the material on the UNCTAD Data Hub do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
Where the designations "economy" or "country or area" appear in texts or tables, they cover regions, countries, territories, cities or areas.

UNCTAD strives for the highest level of accuracy and is committed to promptly correcting any errors on its part. It does not guarantee or make any express or implied representations regarding the accuracy, reliability, correctness, fitness for use for a particular purpose, or otherwise, whatsoever, of any of the tables in the UNCTAD Data Hub.
Generation date: 11 October 2024