Lao PDR: Net secondary income (current US$, BoP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Lao PDR's net secondary income (current US$, BoP) rose 12.3% on 2024 (from US$538.26 million to US$604.5 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +15.2% and a typical year strayed about 54% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below 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 226.6% in 1999 and the biggest yearly fall was 71% in 2001. 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 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about US$30.75 million a year. A straight line explains 55% 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 2025, Lao PDR had the 63rd highest value of the 136 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

• Latvia — 59th of 136: US$669.27 million
• Costa Rica — 60th of 136: US$629.67 million
• Lesotho — 61st of 136: US$625.8 million
• Gambia, The — 63rd of 136: US$604.29 million
• Zambia — 64th of 136: US$563.65 million
• Armenia — 65th of 136: US$507.37 million

What this measures

Net secondary income (from abroad) comprises transfers of income between residents of the reporting country and the rest of the world that carry no provisions for repayment. Net secondary income is equal to the unrequited transfers of income from nonresidents to residents minus the unrequited transfers from residents to nonresidents. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

Limitations: Discrepancies may arise in the balance of payments because there is no single source for balance of payments data and therefore no way to ensure that the data are fully consistent. Sources include customs data, monetary accounts of the banking system, external debt records, information provided by enterprises, surveys to estimate service transactions, and foreign exchange records. Differences in collection methods - such as in timing, definitions of residence and ownership, and the exchange rate used to value transactions - contribute to net errors and omissions. In addition, smuggling and other illegal or quasi-legal transactions may be unrecorded or misrecorded.

All 42 values

Net secondary income (current US$, BoP) in nearby economies

• Australia — −US$1.1 billion (2025)
• Brunei Darussalam — −US$718.16 million (2025)
• Cambodia — US$2.44 billion (2025)
• China — US$22.12 billion (2025)
• Fiji — US$510.04 million (2024)
• French Polynesia — US$531.65 million (2016)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — −US$3.01 billion (2025)
• Indonesia — US$6.72 billion (2025)
• Japan — −US$37.35 billion (2025)
• Kiribati — US$98.25 million (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

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Questions people ask

What is Lao PDR's net secondary income (current US$, BoP)?

US$604.5 million in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1984?

It is up 1,336% from US$42.1 million in 1984 (6.71% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$604.5 million in 2025 and the lowest US$24.9 million in 1988.

How does Lao PDR rank?

63rd highest of 136 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in net secondary income (current US$, BoP) unusual for Lao PDR?

In 2025, Lao PDR's net secondary income (current US$, BoP) rose 12.3% on 2024 (from US$538.26 million to US$604.5 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +15.2% and a typical year strayed about 54% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below 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 BN.TRF.CURR.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments 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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