Travel services (% of commercial service imports) in Laos
Laos: Travel services (% of commercial service imports) was 65.4% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Travel services in Laos, 1991–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of commercial service imports.
Analysis
In 2025, travel services in Laos stood at 65.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.5% on the previous year and down 29.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, travel services in Laos peaked at 92.8% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2021.
That places Laos 4th out of 198 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Travel services (% of commercial service imports) in Laos, year by year
| Year | % of commercial service imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 13.3% | — |
| 1992 | 14.1% | +6.0% |
| 1993 | 15.0% | +6.4% |
| 1994 | 12.0% | -19.9% |
| 1995 | 25.0% | +107.1% |
| 1996 | 18.1% | -27.4% |
| 1997 | 10.2% | -43.6% |
| 1998 | 13.2% | +29.0% |
| 1999 | 11.7% | -10.9% |
| 2000 | 62.3% | +430.7% |
| 2001 | 0.2% | -99.7% |
| 2002 | 1.5% | +645.8% |
| 2003 | 5.3% | +256.6% |
| 2004 | 15.8% | +200.8% |
| 2005 | 17.5% | +10.7% |
| 2006 | 28.7% | +64.4% |
| 2007 | 22.3% | -22.3% |
| 2008 | 40.4% | +81.0% |
| 2009 | 63.6% | +57.2% |
| 2010 | 78.7% | +23.8% |
| 2011 | 73.0% | -7.3% |
| 2012 | 82.5% | +13.0% |
| 2013 | 86.2% | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 91.6% | +6.3% |
| 2015 | 92.8% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 89.2% | -3.9% |
| 2017 | 83.0% | -6.9% |
| 2018 | 79.9% | -3.8% |
| 2019 | 81.4% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 56.5% | -30.6% |
| 2021 | 0.0% | -99.9% |
| 2022 | 60.0% | +200222.2% |
| 2023 | 57.8% | -3.7% |
| 2024 | 73.8% | +27.8% |
| 2025 | 65.4% | -11.5% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 65.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 17.1%, 3.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Laos's 65.4% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 23.4%, 2.8× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Travel services (% of commercial service 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +200222.2% | 0.0% | 60.0% |
| 2002 | +645.8% | 0.2% | 1.5% |
| 2000 | +430.7% | 11.7% | 62.3% |
| 2003 | +256.6% | 1.5% | 5.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.8% | 10.2% | 25.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 25.8% | 0.2% | 63.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.8% | 73.0% | 92.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.3% | 0.0% | 73.8% | 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)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is travel services in Laos?
- Travel services in Laos was 65.4% in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest travel services recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 92.8% in 2015.
- What is the lowest travel services recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2021.
- How does Laos rank for travel services?
- Laos ranks 4th out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Is travel services rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Travel services (% of commercial service imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Travel services cover goods and services for own use or to give away acquired from an economy by nonresidents during visits to that economy, or acquired from other economies by residents during visits to these other economies. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service imports which are commercial services provided by non-residents to residents.