Merchandise imports in Laos
Laos: Merchandise imports was 10.34 billion current US$ in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports in Laos, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in current US$.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise imports in Laos is 10.34 billion current US$, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 19.4% on the previous year and up 82.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports in Laos peaked at 10.34 billion current US$ in 2025 and was at its lowest, 14.00 million current US$, in 1977.
That places Laos 113th out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports in Laos, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 19.00 million current US$ | — |
| 1961 | 17.00 million current US$ | -10.5% |
| 1962 | 23.00 million current US$ | +35.3% |
| 1963 | 26.00 million current US$ | +13.0% |
| 1964 | 26.00 million current US$ | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 33.00 million current US$ | +26.9% |
| 1966 | 42.00 million current US$ | +27.3% |
| 1967 | 49.00 million current US$ | +16.7% |
| 1968 | 54.00 million current US$ | +10.2% |
| 1969 | 83.00 million current US$ | +53.7% |
| 1970 | 114.00 million current US$ | +37.3% |
| 1971 | 82.00 million current US$ | -28.1% |
| 1972 | 63.00 million current US$ | -23.2% |
| 1973 | 57.00 million current US$ | -9.5% |
| 1974 | 65.00 million current US$ | +14.0% |
| 1975 | 45.00 million current US$ | -30.8% |
| 1976 | 45.00 million current US$ | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 14.00 million current US$ | -68.9% |
| 1978 | 16.00 million current US$ | +14.3% |
| 1979 | 70.00 million current US$ | +337.5% |
| 1980 | 92.00 million current US$ | +31.4% |
| 1981 | 110.00 million current US$ | +19.6% |
| 1982 | 132.00 million current US$ | +20.0% |
| 1983 | 150.00 million current US$ | +13.6% |
| 1984 | 162.00 million current US$ | +8.0% |
| 1985 | 193.00 million current US$ | +19.1% |
| 1986 | 186.00 million current US$ | -3.6% |
| 1987 | 216.00 million current US$ | +16.1% |
| 1988 | 193.00 million current US$ | -10.6% |
| 1989 | 185.00 million current US$ | -4.1% |
| 1990 | 185.00 million current US$ | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 170.00 million current US$ | -8.1% |
| 1992 | 270.00 million current US$ | +58.8% |
| 1993 | 432.00 million current US$ | +60.0% |
| 1994 | 564.00 million current US$ | +30.6% |
| 1995 | 589.00 million current US$ | +4.4% |
| 1996 | 690.00 million current US$ | +17.1% |
| 1997 | 706.00 million current US$ | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 553.00 million current US$ | -21.7% |
| 1999 | 525.00 million current US$ | -5.1% |
| 2000 | 535.00 million current US$ | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 510.00 million current US$ | -4.7% |
| 2002 | 447.00 million current US$ | -12.4% |
| 2003 | 462.00 million current US$ | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 713.00 million current US$ | +54.3% |
| 2005 | 882.00 million current US$ | +23.7% |
| 2006 | 1.06 billion current US$ | +20.2% |
| 2007 | 1.07 billion current US$ | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 1.40 billion current US$ | +31.5% |
| 2009 | 1.46 billion current US$ | +4.1% |
| 2010 | 2.06 billion current US$ | +41.0% |
| 2011 | 2.40 billion current US$ | +16.7% |
| 2012 | 3.06 billion current US$ | +27.1% |
| 2013 | 3.08 billion current US$ | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 4.27 billion current US$ | +38.6% |
| 2015 | 5.67 billion current US$ | +32.9% |
| 2016 | 5.37 billion current US$ | -5.3% |
| 2017 | 5.67 billion current US$ | +5.5% |
| 2018 | 6.32 billion current US$ | +11.4% |
| 2019 | 6.27 billion current US$ | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 5.37 billion current US$ | -14.4% |
| 2021 | 6.28 billion current US$ | +16.9% |
| 2022 | 7.24 billion current US$ | +15.4% |
| 2023 | 7.65 billion current US$ | +5.6% |
| 2024 | 8.66 billion current US$ | +13.3% |
| 2025 | 10.34 billion current US$ | +19.4% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 10.34 billion current US$ is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.14 billion current US$, 93% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Laos's 10.34 billion current US$ is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.62 billion current US$, 2.2× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports in Laos changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | +337.5% | 16.00 million current US$ | 70.00 million current US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 37.20 million current US$ | 17.00 million current US$ | 83.00 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1970s | 57.10 million current US$ | 14.00 million current US$ | 114.00 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 161.90 million current US$ | 92.00 million current US$ | 216.00 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 468.40 million current US$ | 170.00 million current US$ | 706.00 million current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 854.00 million current US$ | 447.00 million current US$ | 1.46 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.42 billion current US$ | 2.06 billion current US$ | 6.32 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.59 billion current US$ | 5.37 billion current US$ | 10.34 billion current US$ | 6 |
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)
- Food exports 23.2% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 32.8% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 12.38 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 1,572 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.6762 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 31.87 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 1,314 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports in Laos?
- Merchandise imports in Laos was 10.34 billion current US$ in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise imports recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 10.34 billion current US$ in 2025.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.00 million current US$ in 1977.
- How does Laos rank for merchandise imports?
- Laos ranks 113th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise imports rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is up 82.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from World Trade Organization (WTO), published as part of Merchandise imports (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise imports includes goods whose economic ownership is changed from a non-resident to a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.