Lao PDR: Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$)

Key figures

Since 1983 it is up 3,934% from −US$1 million in 1983. The World Bank has no value for 5 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

On record, the biggest yearly rise was US$35.63 million in 2014 and the biggest yearly fall was US$38.4 million in 2008. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2025, Lao PDR had the 114th highest value of the 174 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 2025 ranking

• Fiji — 110th of 174: US$43.06 million
• Namibia — 111th of 174: US$42.76 million
• Ghana — 112th of 174: US$38.84 million
• Bangladesh — 114th of 174: US$34.41 million
• Kyrgyz Republic — 115th of 174: US$33.04 million
• Burkina Faso — 116th of 174: US$30.35 million

What this measures

Foreign direct investment refers to direct investment equity flows in an economy. It is the sum of equity capital, reinvestment of earnings, and other capital. Direct investment is a category of cross-border investment associated with a resident in one economy having control or a significant degree of influence on the management of an enterprise that is resident in another economy. Ownership of 10 percent or more of the ordinary shares of voting stock is the criterion for determining the existence of a direct investment relationship. This series shows net outflows of investment from the reporting economy to the rest of the world. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

Limitations: FDI data do not give a complete picture of international investment in an economy. Balance of payments data on FDI do not include capital raised locally, an important source of investment financing in some developing countries. In addition, FDI data omit nonequity cross-border transactions such as intra-unit flows of goods and services. The volume of global private financial flows reported by the World Bank generally differs from that reported by other sources because of differences in sources, classification of economies, and method used to adjust and disaggregate reported information.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 38 values

Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$) in nearby economies

• Australia — −US$6.75 billion (2025)
• Cambodia — US$138.51 million (2025)
• China — US$157.21 billion (2025)
• Fiji — US$43.06 million (2025)
• French Polynesia — US$12.11 million (2025)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — US$99.85 billion (2025)
• Indonesia — US$8.15 billion (2025)
• Japan — US$217.76 billion (2025)
• Kiribati — US$16,114 (2025)

More economic policy & debt data for Lao PDR

• Grants, excluding technical cooperation (BoP, current US$) — US$347.91 million (2023)
• Technical cooperation grants (BoP, current US$) — US$90.18 million (2023)
• Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, Japan (current US$) — US$41.74 million (2023)
• Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, Total (current US$) — US$435.39 million (2023)
• Net official development assistance and official aid received (current US$) — US$514.84 million (2023)
• Net official development assistance and official aid received (constant 2023 US$) — US$514.84 million (2023)
• Net official development assistance received (current US$) — US$514.84 million (2023)
• Net official development assistance received (constant 2023 US$)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Lao PDR's foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$)?

US$38.34 million in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1983?

It is up 3,934% from −US$1 million in 1983. The highest value was US$39.7 million in 2015 and the lowest −US$28.57 million in 2013.

How does Lao PDR rank?

114th highest of 174 economies with data for 2025.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), note: International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments database, supplemented by data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and official national sources.; UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD); Official….

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BM.KLT.DINV.CD.WD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), note: International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments database, supplemented by data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and official national sources.; UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD); Official… 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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