Lao PDR's official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) was US$20,444 in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 151.54% from US$8,128 in 2015 (9.66% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | US$20,444 | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | US$9,046 | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | US$8,128 | 2015 |
| Highest | US$20,444 | 2025 |
| Lowest | US$10 | 1980 |
| Average since 2016 | US$12,453 | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | US$80 | 1960 |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Lao PDR's official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) rose US$276.81 on 2024 (from US$20,167 to US$20,444).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +US$648.32 and a typical year strayed about US$1,312 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 US$4,337 in 2022 and the biggest yearly fall was US$862.55 in 2008. 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$1,561 a year. A straight line explains 84% 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 2nd highest value of the 193 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
- Lebanon — 1st of 193: US$89,500
- Indonesia — 3rd of 193: US$16,478
- Uzbekistan — 4th of 193: US$12,579
- Paraguay — 5th of 193: US$7,545
What this measures
Official exchange rate refers to the exchange rate determined by national authorities or to the rate determined in the legally sanctioned exchange market. This indicator represents the ratio of Local Currency Units relative to United States dollars.This indicator is derived as an average over the reference period.
Limitations: Official or market exchange rates are often used to convert economic statistics in local currencies to a common currency in order to make comparisons across countries. Since market rates reflect at best the relative prices of tradable goods, the volume of goods and services that a U.S. dollar buys in the United States may not correspond to what a U.S. dollar converted to another country's currency at the official exchange rate would buy in that country, particularly when nontradable goods and services account for a significant share of a country's output.
All 66 values
| Year | Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 20,444 |
| 2024 | 20,167 |
| 2023 | 17,689 |
| 2022 | 14,035 |
| 2021 | 9,698 |
| 2020 | 9,046 |
| 2019 | 8,679 |
| 2018 | 8,401 |
| 2017 | 8,245 |
| 2016 | 8,124 |
| 2015 |
Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) in nearby economies
- American Samoa — US$1 (2025)
- Australia — US$1.55 (2025)
- Brunei Darussalam — US$1.31 (2025)
- Cambodia — US$4,013 (2025)
- China — US$7.19 (2025)
- Fiji — US$2.3 (2025)
- French Polynesia — US$105.86 (2025)
- Guam — US$1 (2025)
- Hong Kong SAR, China — US$7.8 (2025)
- Indonesia
More financial sector data for Lao PDR
- DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) — US$20,444 (2025)
- GDP deflator (base year varies by country) — 240 (2025)
- Inflation, GDP deflator (annual % growth) — 7.55% (2025)
- Consumer price index (2010 = 100) — 317.16 (2025)
- Inflation, consumer prices (annual % growth) — 7.74% (2025)
- Inflation, GDP deflator, linked series (annual % growth) — 7.55% (2025)
- GDP deflator, linked series (base year varies by country) — 240 (2025)
- Automated teller machines (ATMs) (per 100,000 adults) — 28.3 (2024)
- Commercial bank branches (per 100,000 adults) — 3.02 (2024)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Lao PDR's official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average)?
- US$20,444 in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1960?
- It is up 25,455% from US$80 in 1960 (8.9% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$20,444 in 2025 and the lowest US$10 in 1980.
- How does Lao PDR rank?
- 2nd highest of 193 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) unusual for Lao PDR?
- In 2025, Lao PDR's official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) rose US$276.81 on 2024 (from US$20,167 to US$20,444). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +US$648.32 and a typical year strayed about US$1,312 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 PA.NUS.FCRF, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics 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.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
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