Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Laos
Laos: Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) was 7.7% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Laos, 1984–2025
Source: International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Laos recorded 7.7% for foreign direct investment, net inflows in 2025.
The figure is down 2.8% on the previous year and up 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows in Laos peaked at 11.2% in 2023 and was at its lowest, -0.1%, in 1985.
That places Laos 27th out of 201 countries with data for 2025, 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 (% of GDP) in Laos, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 0.0% | — |
| 1985 | -0.1% | — |
| 1986 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 1987 | 0.0% | — |
| 1988 | 0.3% | — |
| 1989 | 0.6% | +67.8% |
| 1990 | 0.7% | +23.7% |
| 1991 | 0.7% | -3.2% |
| 1992 | 0.7% | +3.0% |
| 1993 | 2.3% | +225.6% |
| 1994 | 3.8% | +70.3% |
| 1995 | 5.4% | +40.6% |
| 1996 | 8.5% | +58.2% |
| 1997 | 5.2% | -38.9% |
| 1998 | 3.6% | -31.2% |
| 1999 | 5.4% | +51.3% |
| 2000 | 2.0% | -63.9% |
| 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 | 7.9% | -29.8% |
| 2025 | 7.7% | -2.8% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 7.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.9%, 4.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Laos's 7.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.1%, 3.6× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.1% | -0.1% | 0.6% | 6 |
| 1990s | 3.6% | 0.7% | 8.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.9% | 0.3% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.0% | 3.4% | 9.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.1% | 4.7% | 11.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Laos
- 24 Liberia 9.5% compare
- 25 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 8.9% compare
- 26 United Arab Emirates 8.3% compare
- 28 Montenegro 7.3% compare
- 29 Saint Lucia 7.3% compare
- 30 Dominica 6.8% compare
More economy & growth data for Laos
- 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)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0069 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net inflows in Laos?
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Laos was 7.7% in 2025, according to International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest foreign direct investment, net inflows recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 11.2% in 2023.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.1% in 1985.
- How does Laos rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows?
- Laos ranks 27th out of 201 countries with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net inflows rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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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.