Merchandise trade in Laos
Laos: Merchandise trade was 124.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Merchandise trade in Laos, 1984–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Laos recorded 124.1% for merchandise trade in 2025. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
The figure is up 13.5% on the previous year and up 92.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in Laos peaked at 124.1% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 10.4%, in 1985.
Laos ranks 15th of 204 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Merchandise trade in Laos, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 11.7% | — |
| 1985 | 10.4% | -11.0% |
| 1986 | 13.6% | +30.0% |
| 1987 | 25.6% | +88.5% |
| 1988 | 42.7% | +67.2% |
| 1989 | 34.7% | -18.7% |
| 1990 | 30.5% | -12.2% |
| 1991 | 26.0% | -14.9% |
| 1992 | 35.7% | +37.6% |
| 1993 | 50.7% | +41.8% |
| 1994 | 56.0% | +10.6% |
| 1995 | 51.0% | -8.9% |
| 1996 | 54.1% | +5.9% |
| 1997 | 61.0% | +12.8% |
| 1998 | 72.1% | +18.3% |
| 1999 | 57.5% | -20.3% |
| 2000 | 50.0% | -13.1% |
| 2001 | 46.9% | -6.1% |
| 2002 | 42.5% | -9.3% |
| 2003 | 39.4% | -7.4% |
| 2004 | 45.5% | +15.4% |
| 2005 | 52.5% | +15.4% |
| 2006 | 56.2% | +7.1% |
| 2007 | 47.1% | -16.2% |
| 2008 | 45.8% | -2.8% |
| 2009 | 43.1% | -6.0% |
| 2010 | 53.4% | +23.9% |
| 2011 | 52.5% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 52.3% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 44.6% | -14.6% |
| 2014 | 52.2% | +17.1% |
| 2015 | 64.7% | +23.8% |
| 2016 | 60.4% | -6.5% |
| 2017 | 61.7% | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 64.6% | +4.7% |
| 2019 | 64.4% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 60.5% | -6.1% |
| 2021 | 74.2% | +22.6% |
| 2022 | 99.8% | +34.5% |
| 2023 | 101.1% | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 109.4% | +8.2% |
| 2025 | 124.1% | +13.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 23.1% | 10.4% | 42.7% | 6 |
| 1990s | 49.5% | 26.0% | 72.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 46.9% | 39.4% | 56.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.1% | 44.6% | 64.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 94.9% | 60.5% | 124.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Laos
More private sector data for Laos
- Food imports 12.7% (2023)
- Manufactures imports 61.7% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 10.34 billion current US$ (2025)
- 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 trade in Laos?
- Merchandise trade in Laos was 124.1% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 124.1% in 2025.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.4% in 1985.
- How does Laos rank for merchandise trade?
- Laos ranks 15th out of 204 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is up 92.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from World Trade Organization (WTO), published as part of Merchandise trade (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
General merchandise trade includes goods whose economic ownership is changed between a resident and a non-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. It is the total of merchandise exports plus merchandise imports. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.