Summary
- Exports
- $10.7billion
- Imports
- $8.7billion
- Trade balance
- +$2billion
Products
What it exports
Electricity (22%) and potash fertilizers (7.7%) together make up 29.7% of its exports.
What it imports
Refined petroleum (14.5%) and cars (3.4%) together make up 17.9% of its imports.
By Harmonized System chapter (96)
| Chapter | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 27 · Oil, gas and coal | $2.4 billion | $1.5 billion |
| 26 · Ores and slag | $1.1 billion | $738 thousand |
| 85 · Electrical and electronic equipment | $975 million | $733 million |
| 31 · Fertilizers | $845 million | $179 million |
| 71 · Gems and precious metals | $755 million | $196 million |
| 40 · Rubber | $573 million | $134 million |
| 48 · Paper and paperboard | $438 million | $118 million |
| 07 · Vegetables | $409 million | $17 million |
| 28 · Inorganic chemicals | $390 million | $83 million |
| 47 · Wood pulp | $290 million | $25 million |
| 11 · Milling products and malt | $289 million | $49 million |
| 62 · Woven clothing | $260 million | $18 million |
| 90 · Precision and medical instruments | $259 million | $81 million |
| 61 · Knitted clothing | $234 million | $20 million |
| 44 · Wood | $187 million | $98 million |
| 64 · Footwear | $184 million | $28 million |
| 25 · Salt, stone and cement | $177 million | $41 million |
| 74 · Copper | $123 million | $7 million |
| 10 · Cereals | $120 million | $40 million |
| 12 · Oilseeds and grains | $110 million | $4 million |
| 08 · Fruit and nuts | $105 million | $6 million |
| 94 · Furniture and lighting | $87 million | $68 million |
| 09 · Coffee, tea and spices | $78 million | $3 million |
| 65 · Hats | $35 million | $5 million |
| 73 · Iron and steel products | $35 million | $253 million |
| 95 · Toys and sports gear | $28 million | $14 million |
| 38 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $24 million | $183 million |
| 78 · Lead | $23 million | $2 million |
| 24 · Tobacco | $21 million | $21 million |
| 17 · Sugar and sweets | $18 million | $242 million |
| 39 · Plastics | $12 million | $322 million |
| 33 · Perfumes and cosmetics | $11 million | $134 million |
| 22 · Beverages and spirits | $11 million | $216 million |
| 13 · Gums and plant extracts | $10 million | $1 million |
| 67 · Feathers and artificial flowers | $8 million | $2 million |
| 76 · Aluminum | $8 million | $68 million |
| 84 · Mechanical machinery | $7 million | $1.1 billion |
| 63 · Home textiles and used clothing | $6 million | $57 million |
| 75 · Nickel | $6 million | $3 million |
| 21 · Food preparations | $5 million | $137 million |
| 20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables | $5 million | $70 million |
| 70 · Glass | $4 million | $42 million |
| 23 · Animal feed and food waste | $4 million | $81 million |
| 87 · Vehicles | $3 million | $916 million |
| 32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents | $3 million | $72 million |
| 55 · Synthetic staple fibers | $3 million | $26 million |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | $2 million | $71 million |
| 42 · Leather goods and bags | $2 million | $10 million |
| 14 · Other plant products | $2 million | $461 thousand |
| 80 · Tin | $1 million | $312 thousand |
| 36 · Explosives and matches | $1 million | $6 million |
| 30 · Pharmaceuticals | $1 million | $68 million |
| 60 · Knitted fabric | $1 million | $55 million |
| 15 · Fats and oils | $825 thousand | $16 million |
| 82 · Tools and cutlery | $740 thousand | $17 million |
| 49 · Books and printed matter | $617 thousand | $2 million |
| 16 · Prepared meat and fish | $548 thousand | $16 million |
| 56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope | $539 thousand | $11 million |
| 01 · Live animals | $454 thousand | $79 million |
| 18 · Cocoa and chocolate | $449 thousand | $5 million |
| 88 · Aircraft and spacecraft | $427 thousand | $16 million |
| 96 · Other manufactured goods | $361 thousand | $15 million |
| 54 · Synthetic filaments | $342 thousand | $18 million |
| 06 · Live plants and flowers | $331 thousand | $2 million |
| 58 · Special fabrics and lace | $299 thousand | $9 million |
| 72 · Iron and steel | $276 thousand | $289 million |
| 86 · Railway equipment | $275 thousand | $21 million |
| 51 · Wool | $268 thousand | $2 million |
| 53 · Other plant fibers | $237 thousand | $1 million |
| 50 · Silk | $181 thousand | $177 thousand |
| 52 · Cotton | $164 thousand | $12 million |
| 97 · Art and antiques | $142 thousand | $769 thousand |
| 83 · Miscellaneous metal goods | $142 thousand | $26 million |
| 34 · Soap and cleaning products | $87 thousand | $112 million |
| 05 · Other animal products | $82 thousand | $506 thousand |
| 03 · Fish and seafood | $81 thousand | $5 million |
| 81 · Other base metals | $40 thousand | $455 thousand |
| 69 · Ceramics | $34 thousand | $65 million |
| 91 · Watches and clocks | $22 thousand | $6 million |
| 41 · Hides and leather | $22 thousand | $19 million |
| 19 · Baked goods and cereal products | $14 thousand | $161 million |
| 89 · Ships and boats | $14 thousand | $2 million |
| 57 · Carpets and rugs | $12 thousand | $3 million |
| 46 · Wicker and basketware | $11 thousand | $229 thousand |
| 68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles | $10 thousand | $68 million |
| 92 · Musical instruments | $7 thousand | $205 thousand |
| 02 · Meat and offal | $2 thousand | $35 million |
| 59 · Coated and technical textiles | $2 thousand | $12 million |
| 35 · Glues, starches and enzymes | $1 thousand | $8 million |
| 66 · Umbrellas and canes | $1 thousand | $678 thousand |
| 43 · Fur and fur goods | $843 | $9 thousand |
| 79 · Zinc | $52 | $1 million |
| 37 · Photographic goods | $42 | $257 thousand |
| 04 · Dairy, eggs and honey | $0 | $34 million |
| 93 · Weapons and ammunition | $0 | $166 thousand |
| 45 · Cork | $0 | $31 thousand |
Trading partners
Its main destination is China (38.9% of exports) and its main source is Thailand (56.4% of imports).
Who it sells to
| Partner | Value (USD billions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 4.2 | 38.9% | Land |
| Thailand | 3.4 | 31.4% | Land |
| United States | 0.85 | 7.9% | Sea |
| Australia | 0.43 | 4% | Air |
| Germany | 0.29 | 2.7% | Sea |
| Cambodia | 0.24 | 2.2% | Land |
| Switzerland | 0.19 | 1.8% | Air |
| Japan | 0.16 | 1.5% | Sea |
| South Korea | 0.1 | 0.89% | Sea |
| Mexico | 0.08 | 0.79% | Air |
Who it buys from
| Partner | Value (USD billions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand | 4.9 | 56.4% | Land |
| China | 3.2 | 36.4% | Land |
| South Korea | 0.11 | 1.2% | Sea |
| Japan | 0.09 | 1% | Sea |
| Singapore | 0.06 | 0.72% | Air |
| Taiwan | 0.04 | 0.43% | Air |
| Germany | 0.04 | 0.4% | Air |
| Belgium | 0.03 | 0.29% | Air |
| United States | 0.02 | 0.28% | Sea |
| Brazil | 0.02 | 0.27% | Sea |
Overview 1995–2024
In 2024, Laos accounted for 0.05% of world exports, compared with 0% in 1995.
Exports and imports
Exports grew 44-fold since 1995
USD billions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).
- Exports 10.7
- Imports 8.7
- Balance +2
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Exports | Imports | Trade balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $243 million | $554 million | -$310 million |
| 1996 | $277 million | $554 million | -$277 million |
| 1997 | $259 million | $536 million | -$277 million |
| 1998 | $202 million | $492 million | -$290 million |
| 1999 | $233 million | $553 million | -$320 million |
| 2000 | $357 million | $598 million | -$241 million |
| 2001 | $331 million | $645 million | -$314 million |
| 2002 | $335 million | $626 million | -$291 million |
| 2003 | $365 million | $707 million | -$343 million |
| 2004 | $438 million | $941 million | -$503 million |
| 2005 | $598 million | $1.1 billion | -$507 million |
| 2006 | $1.1 billion | $1.4 billion | -$364 million |
| 2007 | $1.2 billion | $1.8 billion | -$687 million |
| 2008 | $1.4 billion | $2.5 billion | -$1.1 billion |
| 2009 | $1.4 billion | $2.6 billion | -$1.2 billion |
| 2010 | $2.7 billion | $3.4 billion | -$664 million |
| 2011 | $3.6 billion | $4.5 billion | -$957 million |
| 2012 | $3.6 billion | $5.8 billion | -$2.2 billion |
| 2013 | $5.2 billion | $6.5 billion | -$1.3 billion |
| 2014 | $5.2 billion | $7.3 billion | -$2.1 billion |
| 2015 | $4.7 billion | $6.6 billion | -$1.9 billion |
| 2016 | $5.1 billion | $6.3 billion | -$1.1 billion |
| 2017 | $5.8 billion | $7.2 billion | -$1.4 billion |
| 2018 | $6.5 billion | $7.3 billion | -$786 million |
| 2019 | $7 billion | $7.4 billion | -$437 million |
| 2020 | $7.2 billion | $6.5 billion | $720 million |
| 2021 | $9.5 billion | $7.7 billion | $1.8 billion |
| 2022 | $10.8 billion | $9 billion | $1.8 billion |
| 2023 | $10.7 billion | $8.9 billion | $1.9 billion |
| 2024 | $10.7 billion | $8.7 billion | $2 billion |
World rank
Laos rose from 147th to 101st among the world's exporters
Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).
- 147th in 1995
- 101st in 2024
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 147th |
| 1996 | 148th |
| 1997 | 155th |
| 1998 | 157th |
| 1999 | 159th |
| 2000 | 153rd |
| 2001 | 157th |
| 2002 | 158th |
| 2003 | 162nd |
| 2004 | 164th |
| 2005 | 157th |
| 2006 | 146th |
| 2007 | 147th |
| 2008 | 149th |
| 2009 | 142nd |
| 2010 | 125th |
| 2011 | 128th |
| 2012 | 125th |
| 2013 | 118th |
| 2014 | 119th |
| 2015 | 117th |
| 2016 | 112th |
| 2017 | 111th |
| 2018 | 110th |
| 2019 | 107th |
| 2020 | 104th |
| 2021 | 102nd |
| 2022 | 104th |
| 2023 | 103rd |
| 2024 | 101st |
What it sells
Oil, gas and coal became its top export group: from 0.3% to 22%
% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.
- Other 30%
- Vegetables 4%
- Paper and paperboard 4%
- Rubber 5%
- Gems and precious metals 7%
- Fertilizers 8%
- Electrical and electronic equipment 9%
- Ores and slag 11%
- Oil, gas and coal 22%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Chapter | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Oil, gas and coal | 0.29% | 22.2% |
| Ores and slag | 1.2% | 10.5% |
| Electrical and electronic equipment | 0.14% | 9.1% |
| Fertilizers | 0% | 7.9% |
| Gems and precious metals | 0.02% | 7.1% |
| Rubber | 0.04% | 5.4% |
| Paper and paperboard | 0.01% | 4.1% |
| Vegetables | 0.01% | 3.8% |
| Other | 98.3% | 29.9% |
Who it trades with
China went from 7% to 38% of Laos' trade
% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.
- Thailand 43%
- China 38%
- United States 4%
- Australia 2%
- Germany 2%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Partner | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Thailand | 52.5% | 42.6% |
| China | 6.8% | 37.8% |
| United States | 1.6% | 4.5% |
| Australia | 2.6% | 2.3% |
| Germany | 2.9% | 1.7% |
Production hubs
Largest industrial emission sources (Climate TRACE, 2025)
- Hongsa power station
- Dak Cheung Alumina Refinery
Largest economic production hubs (gridded GDP, 2024)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeSources and methodology
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- Climate TRACE · CC BY 4.0 (emissions by asset; the 3 largest per country are shown)
- Kummu et al., gridded GDP · CC BY 4.0 (hubs aggregated by this site)
- Natural Earth · Public domain
Methodology
Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Ranks are computed among the countries with data each year. Services are not included. Data up to 2024.