[1] Primary trade source
OECD Bilateral International Merchandise Trade Statistics, harmonised by Yugalinks at country-year, HS2 and bilateral-corridor levels. Coverage shown here is 1995–2024 where observations are available.
Country intelligence · LAO · 2024
Laos trade profile
In 2024, Laos recorded $9.3B in merchandise exports and $9.6B in imports, producing a $355.5M trade deficit. Exports changed +11.6% from the previous year, while imports changed +11.3%.[1]
Exports
$9.3B
+11.6%
Imports
$9.6B
+11.3%
Trade balance
-$355.5M
deficit
Active partners
270
19 FTA-linked
Historical evidence
Ten-year trade movement
The bars compare exports and imports on the same scale. The accompanying table preserves the exact values so the trend is usable without interpreting a graphic.
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
ExportsImports
Exact annual values
Leading export sectors
HS2 chapters rank broad product groups by observed export value in 2024.
1$2.6B
HS 27 · Mineral fuels and oils
33 active HS6 lines · 7 export partners
2$920.6M
HS 85 · Electrical machinery
262 active HS6 lines · 102 export partners
3$808.6M
HS 31 · HS chapter
24 active HS6 lines · 26 export partners
4$712.3M
HS 26 · HS chapter
22 active HS6 lines · 7 export partners
5$506.8M
HS 71 · Precious metals and stones
33 active HS6 lines · 23 export partners
6$446.8M
HS 40 · HS chapter
74 active HS6 lines · 35 export partners
7$344.7M
HS 28 · HS chapter
135 active HS6 lines · 22 export partners
8$265.4M
HS 44 · HS chapter
83 active HS6 lines · 31 export partners
Leading export markets
Destinations rank bilateral export flows from Laos; growth describes each corridor rather than the whole economy.
1$3.0B
Thailand
Annual change +52.1% · 3-year CAGR 1.6%
2$2.9B
China
Annual change -10.8% · 3-year CAGR 4.8%
3$825.2M
Vietnam
Annual change -22.1% · 3-year CAGR -4.9%
4$747.8M
United States
Annual change +173.8% · 3-year CAGR 63.9%
5$266.9M
Australia
Annual change -27.0% · 3-year CAGR -9.2%
6$247.3M
Germany
Annual change +69.2% · 3-year CAGR 33.4%
7$234.8M
Cambodia
Annual change +90.6% · 3-year CAGR 18.1%
8$128.4M
Japan
Annual change -12.6% · 3-year CAGR 4.1%
Sources, definitions and limitations
Calculation notes
USD values are aggregated from reported merchandise records. YoY compares consecutive annual totals; three-year CAGR is the mart-provided compound annual growth rate. Missing values are not inferred.