Foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of GDP (%) in Laos
Laos: Foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of GDP (%) was 6.0% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of GDP in Laos, 2000–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of gdp in Laos stood at 6.0%.
That represents a change of down 46.7% on the previous year and down 8.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of gdp in Laos peaked at 11.2% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2002.
That places Laos 40th out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of GDP (%) in Laos, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2.0% | — |
| 2001 | 1.4% | -31.0% |
| 2002 | 0.3% | -81.3% |
| 2003 | 1.0% | +280.4% |
| 2004 | 0.7% | -25.8% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | +41.7% |
| 2006 | 5.4% | +435.0% |
| 2007 | 7.7% | +41.3% |
| 2008 | 4.2% | -45.4% |
| 2009 | 5.5% | +30.5% |
| 2010 | 3.9% | -28.4% |
| 2011 | 3.4% | -12.1% |
| 2012 | 6.1% | +76.3% |
| 2013 | 5.7% | -6.2% |
| 2014 | 6.5% | +14.9% |
| 2015 | 7.5% | +14.3% |
| 2016 | 5.9% | -21.3% |
| 2017 | 9.9% | +68.1% |
| 2018 | 7.5% | -24.2% |
| 2019 | 4.0% | -46.1% |
| 2020 | 5.1% | +26.5% |
| 2021 | 5.7% | +11.7% |
| 2022 | 4.7% | -17.5% |
| 2023 | 11.2% | +139.5% |
| 2024 | 6.0% | -46.7% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 6.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.1%, 2.9× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Laos's 6.0% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.1%, 2.9× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of GDP (%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +435.0% | 1.0% | 5.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.9% | 0.3% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.0% | 3.4% | 9.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.5% | 4.7% | 11.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Laos
More economy & growth data for Laos
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate 11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.39 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4.6 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 60.62 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0083 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 19.21 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate 52.95 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 14.03 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of gdp in Laos?
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of gdp in Laos was 6.0% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of gdp recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 11.2% in 2023.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of gdp recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2002.
- How does Laos rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of gdp?
- Laos ranks 40th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of gdp rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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