Lao PDR's expense (current LCU) was 22.4 trillion in 2022, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 149.83% from 8.96 trillion in 2012 (9.59% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 22.4 trillion | 2022 |
| Five years earlier | 17.36 trillion | 2017 |
| Ten years earlier | 8.96 trillion | 2012 |
| Highest | 22.4 trillion | 2022 |
| Lowest | 5.13 trillion | 2008 |
| Average since 2013 | 18.58 trillion | 2013–2022 |
| First recorded | 5.13 trillion |
What the numbers say
In 2022, Lao PDR's expense (current LCU) rose 14% on 2021 (from 19.65 trillion to 22.4 trillion).
Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2009 to 2021), the average change was +12.2% and a typical year strayed about 20.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 76% in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.2% in 2017. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is upward, about 610.01 billion a year. A straight line explains 88% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2022, Lao PDR had the 4th highest value of the 25 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
Closest to Lao PDR in the 2022 ranking
What this measures
Expense is a decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.
Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
All 15 values
| Year | Expense (current LCU) |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 22,396,904,150,000 |
| 2021 | 19,651,148,900,000 |
| 2020 | 19,656,334,941,111 |
| 2019 | 20,247,308,360,000 |
| 2018 | 18,762,566,040,000 |
| 2017 | 17,362,142,000,000 |
| 2016 | 17,928,055,270,000 |
| 2015 | 17,461,500,000,000 |
| 2014 | 16,538,710,000,000 |
| 2013 | 15,782,300,000,000 |
Expense (current LCU) in nearby economies
- Australia — 644.6 billion (2022)
- Cambodia — 22.54 trillion (2023)
- Fiji — 3.42 billion (2023)
- Japan — 117.32 trillion (2022)
- Kiribati — 367.36 million (2023)
- Korea, Rep. — 682.2 trillion (2023)
- Macao SAR, China — 72.06 billion (2023)
- Malaysia — 310.25 billion (2023)
- Marshall Islands — 143.73 million (2020)
- Micronesia, Fed. Sts. — 87.36 million (2020)
- Mongolia — 13.81 trillion (2021)
- Myanmar
More public sector data for Lao PDR
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 7 million (2024)
- Armed forces personnel, total — 129,000 (2020)
- Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 4.08% (2020)
- CPIA business regulatory environment rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3.5 (2025)
- CPIA debt policy rating (1=low to 6=high) — 2 (2025)
- CPIA economic management cluster average (1=low to 6=high) — 3 (2025)
- CPIA policy and institutions for environmental sustainability rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3.5 (2025)
- CPIA quality of budgetary and financial management rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3 (2025)
- CPIA financial sector rating (1=low to 6=high)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Lao PDR's expense (current LCU)?
- 22.4 trillion in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2008?
- It is up 336.27% from 5.13 trillion in 2008 (11.1% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 22.4 trillion in 2022 and the lowest 5.13 trillion in 2008.
- How does Lao PDR rank?
- 4th highest of 25 economies with data for 2022.
- Is the latest change in expense (current LCU) unusual for Lao PDR?
- In 2022, Lao PDR's expense (current LCU) rose 14% on 2021 (from 19.65 trillion to 22.4 trillion). Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2009 to 2021), the average change was +12.2% and a typical year strayed about 20.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.XPN.TOTL.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
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