Is merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit rising or falling in Laos?

Over the last ten years it is down 49.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) … unit in Laos

Name: Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) … unit in Laos
Creator: Statizoid (derived)
License: Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page

Laos: Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) … unit was 0.3453 current US$ per US$ of GDP in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)

0.3453 current US$ per US$ of GDP

Change on year

up 22.5%

World rank

99th

of 202 countries

All-time high

0.9964 current US$ per US$ of GDP

in 2012

All-time low

0.0207 current US$ per US$ of GDP

in 1984

Years of data

1984–2023

Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$), per unit in Laos, 1984–2023

Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in current US$ per US$ of GDP.

Analysis

Laos recorded 0.3453 current US$ per US$ of GDP for merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit in 2023.

The figure is up 22.5% on the previous year and down 49.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit in Laos peaked at 0.9964 current US$ per US$ of GDP in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.0207 current US$ per US$ of GDP, in 1984.

Laos ranks 99th of 202 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.

Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) … unit in Laos, year by year

Annual values for Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$), per unit of GDP in Laos, 1984 to 2023.
Year	current US$ per US$ of GDP	Change
1984	0.0207 current US$ per US$ of GDP	—
1985	0.0218 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+5.3%
1986	0.032 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+46.7%
1987	0.0688 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+114.8%
1988	0.1647 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+139.3%
1989	0.1739 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+5.6%
1990	0.1701 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-2.2%
1991	0.1487 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-12.6%
1992	0.2272 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+52.8%
1993	0.2343 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+3.1%
1994	0.2603 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+11.1%
1995	0.2426 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-6.8%
1996	0.246 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+1.4%
1997	0.2294 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-6.8%
1998	0.4966 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+116.5%
1999	0.5497 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+10.7%
2000	0.6197 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+12.7%
2001	0.499 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-19.5%
2002	0.613 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+22.9%
2003	0.5093 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-16.9%
2004	0.7377 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+44.8%
2005	0.543 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-26.4%
2006	0.4143 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-23.7%
2007	0.5395 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+30.2%
2008	0.6429 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+19.2%
2009	0.6296 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-2.1%
2010	0.7475 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+18.7%
2011	0.9643 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+29.0%
2012	0.9964 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+3.3%
2013	0.6793 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-31.8%
2014	0.6982 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+2.8%
2015	0.4698 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-32.7%
2016	0.2581 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-45.1%
2017	0.3022 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+17.1%
2018	0.3061 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+1.3%
2019	0.3093 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+1.1%
2020	0.2641 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-14.6%
2021	0.3363 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+27.3%
2022	0.2819 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-16.2%
2023	0.3453 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+22.5%

Laos compared with similar countries

Laos's 0.3453 current US$ per US$ of GDP is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3347 current US$ per US$ of GDP, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Laos's 0.3453 current US$ per US$ of GDP is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.4314 current US$ per US$ of GDP, 80% of the median. (35 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1980s	0.0803 current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0207 current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.1739 current US$ per US$ of GDP	6
1990s	0.2805 current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.1487 current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.5497 current US$ per US$ of GDP	10
2000s	0.5748 current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.4143 current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.7377 current US$ per US$ of GDP	10
2010s	0.5731 current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.2581 current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.9964 current US$ per US$ of GDP	10
2020s	0.3069 current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.2641 current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.3453 current US$ per US$ of GDP	4

Countries ranked near Laos

96 Mexico 0.3531 current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
97 Ukraine 0.3504 current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
98 South Korea 0.3471 current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
100 Uzbekistan 0.3347 current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
101 Sweden 0.333 current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
102 Bahrain 0.3301 current US$ per US$ of GDP compare

See the full ranking of 249 places →

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)

All data for Laos →

Frequently asked questions

What is merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit in Laos?: Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit in Laos was 0.3453 current US$ per US$ of GDP in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit recorded in Laos?: The highest recorded value was 0.9964 current US$ per US$ of GDP in 2012.
What is the lowest merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit recorded in Laos?: The lowest recorded value was 0.0207 current US$ per US$ of GDP in 1984.
How does Laos rank for merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit?: Laos ranks 99th out of 202 countries with data for 2023.
Is merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit rising or falling in Laos?: Over the last ten years it is down 49.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Laos data come from?: The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$), per unit of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$), per unit in Laos. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 08 November 2026, from https://private-sector.statizoid.com/stat/merchandise-imports-by-the-reporting-economy-current-us-per-unit-of-gdp/lao-pdr/

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How this figure is calculated

Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) divided by GDP (current US$), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.

Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) ÷ GDP (current US$)

Computed from

Merchandise imports by the reporting economy Staff estimates, World Bank (WB)
GDP Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks

Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.

About this data

Indicator: Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$), per unit of GDP
Unit: current US$ per US$ of GDP
Source: Statizoid (derived)
Licence: Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage: 249 places, 12,916 data points, 1960–2023
Last refreshed: 21 August 2026

Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) divided by GDP (current US$), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.