Laos vs Lower middle income: Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP)
Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) over time
- Laos
- Lower middle income
How they compare
Laos currently reports 7.7% against 1.5% in Lower middle income, a difference of 6.2%.
That makes Laos's figure about 5.2 times Lower middle income's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 42 shared years of data; in 1984 it was Lower middle income ahead.
Laos ranks 27th and Lower middle income ranks 24th of 201 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Laos averaged higher in 4 and Lower middle income in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Laos | Lower middle income | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.1% | 0.5% | 0.3% | Lower middle income |
| 1990s | 3.6% | 1.0% | 2.6% | Laos |
| 2000s | 2.9% | 2.0% | 0.9% | Laos |
| 2010s | 6.0% | 1.7% | 4.3% | Laos |
| 2020s | 7.1% | 1.4% | 5.6% | Laos |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher foreign direct investment, net inflows, Laos or Lower middle income?
- Laos, at 7.7% against 1.5% in Lower middle income as of 2025.
- What is the difference in foreign direct investment, net inflows between Laos and Lower middle income?
- 6.2%, with Laos ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Laos and Lower middle income?
- 42 years are reported by both, from 1984 to 2025.
- How do Laos and Lower middle income rank globally for foreign direct investment, net inflows?
- Laos ranks 27th and Lower middle income ranks 24th of 201 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Foreign direct investment is the net inflows of investment to acquire a lasting management interest (10 percent or more of voting stock) in an enterprise operating in an economy other than that of the investor. It is the sum of equity capital, reinvestment of earnings, other long-term capital, and short-term capital as shown in the balance of payments. This series shows net inflows (new investment inflows less disinvestment) in the reporting economy from foreign investors, and is divided by GDP.