Trade in services (% of GDP) in Laos
Laos: Trade in services (% of GDP) was 19.0% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Trade in services in Laos, 1984–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Laos recorded 19.0% for trade in services in 2025.
The figure is down 10.6% on the previous year and up 42.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trade in services in Laos peaked at 36.9% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 2021.
That places Laos 109th out of 200 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Trade in services (% of GDP) in Laos, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 4.1% | — |
| 1985 | 2.7% | -34.3% |
| 1986 | 3.3% | +20.7% |
| 1987 | 5.9% | +80.8% |
| 1988 | 7.4% | +25.4% |
| 1989 | 6.8% | -9.0% |
| 1990 | 5.8% | -14.4% |
| 1991 | 8.3% | +43.5% |
| 1992 | 8.0% | -3.6% |
| 1993 | 14.2% | +76.8% |
| 1994 | 17.1% | +21.0% |
| 1995 | 13.2% | -22.8% |
| 1996 | 12.0% | -9.2% |
| 1997 | 25.3% | +110.4% |
| 1998 | 36.9% | +46.2% |
| 1999 | 22.4% | -39.4% |
| 2000 | 12.6% | -43.6% |
| 2001 | 11.1% | -12.2% |
| 2002 | 11.7% | +5.1% |
| 2003 | 7.7% | -34.0% |
| 2004 | 8.9% | +15.3% |
| 2005 | 8.9% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 7.6% | -15.1% |
| 2007 | 7.6% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 9.4% | +22.7% |
| 2009 | 9.1% | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 10.9% | +18.9% |
| 2011 | 10.1% | -7.3% |
| 2012 | 13.6% | +34.8% |
| 2013 | 15.3% | +13.1% |
| 2014 | 14.4% | -6.0% |
| 2015 | 13.3% | -7.6% |
| 2016 | 11.7% | -12.4% |
| 2017 | 11.1% | -4.8% |
| 2018 | 12.3% | +10.9% |
| 2019 | 12.9% | +5.1% |
| 2020 | 4.2% | -67.8% |
| 2021 | 2.0% | -52.0% |
| 2022 | 7.4% | +269.1% |
| 2023 | 14.4% | +94.0% |
| 2024 | 21.3% | +48.4% |
| 2025 | 19.0% | -10.6% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 19.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 13.8%, 1.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Laos's 19.0% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 26.5%, 72% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Trade in services (% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +269.1% | 2.0% | 7.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5.0% | 2.7% | 7.4% | 6 |
| 1990s | 16.3% | 5.8% | 36.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.5% | 7.6% | 12.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.6% | 10.1% | 15.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.4% | 2.0% | 21.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Laos
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 trade in services in Laos?
- Trade in services in Laos was 19.0% in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest trade in services recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 36.9% in 1998.
- What is the lowest trade in services recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 2021.
- How does Laos rank for trade in services?
- Laos ranks 109th out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
- Is trade in services rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is up 42.9%. 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 Trade in services (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total trade in services includes services provided by residents to non-residents plus services provided by non-residents to residents. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.