Lao PDR: Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 0.01 percentage points from 0.04% in 2018. Since 1970 it is up 0.03 percentage points from 0.01% in 1970. The World Bank has no value for 37 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2023, Lao PDR's merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports) fell 0 percentage points on 2022 (from 0.05% to 0.05%).

Across the 11 yearly changes before that (1971 to 2022), the average change was −0.08 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.55 percentage points 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 0.98 percentage points in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.05 percentage points in 2021. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 1% of the movement over 8 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2023, Lao PDR had the 186th highest value of the 191 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 2023 ranking

• Micronesia, Fed. Sts. — 182nd of 191: 0.05%
• Papua New Guinea — 183rd of 191: 0.05%
• St. Lucia — 184th of 191: 0.05%
• Bermuda — 186th of 191: 0.03%
• Bahamas, The — 187th of 191: 0.00832%
• Palau — 188th of 191: 0.00546%

What this measures

Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World are the sum of merchandise imports by the reporting economy from economies in the Arab World. Data are expressed as a percentage of total merchandise imports by the economy. Data are computed only if at least half of the economies in the partner country group had non-missing data.

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

All 17 values

Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports) in nearby economies

• American Samoa — 0.00000192% (2023)
• Australia — 1.12% (2023)
• Brunei Darussalam — 15.39% (2023)
• Cambodia — 0.27% (2021)
• China — 8.82% (2023)
• Fiji — 0.25% (2017)
• French Polynesia — 0.25% (2023)
• Hong Kong SAR, China

More private sector & trade data for Lao PDR

• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$10.34 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$12.38 billion (2025)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 17.45% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East Asia & Pacific (% of total merchandise imports) — 81.87% (2023)
• Merchandise imports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise imports) — 0% (2023)
• Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) — US$5.47 billion (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within region (% of total merchandise imports) — 81.87% (2023)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Lao PDR's merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports)?

0.05% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 0.03 percentage points from 0.01% in 1970. The highest value was 1.1% in 2020 and the lowest 0.0026% in 1999.

How does Lao PDR rank?

186th highest of 191 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports) unusual for Lao PDR?

In 2023, Lao PDR's merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports) fell 0 percentage points on 2022 (from 0.05% to 0.05%). Across the 11 yearly changes before that (1971 to 2022), the average change was −0.08 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.55 percentage points 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 TM.VAL.MRCH.AL.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB); Direction of Trade database, 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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