Share of imports that come from China in Laos
Laos: Share of imports that come from China was 26.4% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Share of imports that come from China in Laos, 1957–2025
Source: International Monetary Fund (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of imports that come from china in Laos stood at 26.4%.
That represents a change of up 4.2% on the previous year and up 27.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of imports that come from china in Laos peaked at 29.3% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1973.
That places Laos 41st out of 206 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.
Share of imports that come from China in Laos, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1957 | 0.5% | — |
| 1958 | 0.4% | -21.5% |
| 1963 | 0.4% | -11.0% |
| 1965 | 0.4% | -0.4% |
| 1970 | 0.2% | -35.3% |
| 1971 | 0.3% | +45.3% |
| 1972 | 0.1% | -75.1% |
| 1973 | 0.0% | -62.8% |
| 1981 | 1.2% | +3888.8% |
| 1987 | 0.9% | -30.3% |
| 1988 | 3.3% | +283.6% |
| 1989 | 3.9% | +18.0% |
| 1990 | 10.8% | +178.9% |
| 1991 | 8.0% | -25.9% |
| 1992 | 12.0% | +49.1% |
| 1993 | 5.8% | -51.3% |
| 1994 | 5.0% | -13.6% |
| 1995 | 5.0% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 5.0% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 1.2% | -75.6% |
| 1998 | 3.1% | +151.3% |
| 1999 | 3.0% | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 20.7% | +577.3% |
| 2001 | 20.7% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 20.7% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 20.7% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 20.7% | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 20.7% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 20.7% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 20.7% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 20.7% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 20.7% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 20.7% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 20.7% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 20.7% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 20.7% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 20.7% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 20.7% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 18.2% | -11.7% |
| 2017 | 29.3% | +60.4% |
| 2018 | 23.1% | -21.0% |
| 2019 | 29.0% | +25.4% |
| 2020 | 25.8% | -10.9% |
| 2021 | 24.8% | -4.2% |
| 2022 | 25.5% | +3.1% |
| 2023 | 24.2% | -5.3% |
| 2024 | 25.3% | +4.7% |
| 2025 | 26.4% | +4.2% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 26.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 20.0%, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Laos's 26.4% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 26.4%, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of imports that come from China 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +3888.8% | 0.0% | 1.2% |
| 2000 | +577.3% | 3.0% | 20.7% |
| 1988 | +283.6% | 0.9% | 3.3% |
| 1990 | +178.9% | 3.9% | 10.8% |
| 1998 | +151.3% | 1.2% | 3.1% |
| 1997 | -75.6% | 5.0% | 1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 2 |
| 1960s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 2 |
| 1970s | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 4 |
| 1980s | 2.3% | 0.9% | 3.9% | 4 |
| 1990s | 5.9% | 1.2% | 12.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.7% | 20.7% | 20.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.4% | 18.2% | 29.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.3% | 24.2% | 26.4% | 6 |
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 share of imports that come from china in Laos?
- Share of imports that come from china in Laos was 26.4% in 2025, according to International Monetary Fund (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of imports that come from china recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 29.3% in 2017.
- What is the lowest share of imports that come from china recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1973.
- How does Laos rank for share of imports that come from china?
- Laos ranks 41st out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of imports that come from china rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of imports that come from China. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of a country's total goods imports, including freight and insurance costs, that come from China.