Lao PDR: Ores and metals exports (% of merchandise exports)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Lao PDR's ores and metals exports (% of merchandise exports) rose 4.07 percentage points on 2022 (from 16.11% to 20.18%).

Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1963 to 2022), the average change was −3.35 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 11.92 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 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 16.24 percentage points in 1971 and the biggest yearly fall was 29.25 percentage points in 1973. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is downward, about 3.42 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 80% 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 2023, Lao PDR had the 5th highest value of the 24 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

• Papua New Guinea — 2nd of 24: 29.8%
• Mongolia — 3rd of 24: 26.27%
• Gabon — 4th of 24: 23.31%
• West Bank and Gaza — 6th of 24: 14.43%
• Botswana — 7th of 24: 10.75%
• Aruba — 8th of 24: 6.77%

What this measures

Ores and metals comprise the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 27 (crude fertilizer, minerals nes); 28 (metalliferous ores, scrap); and 68 (non-ferrous metals). Exports of services are services provided by residents to non-residents. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise exports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a resident and a non-resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.

Limitations: Previous editions contained data based on the SITC revision 1. Data for earlier years in previous editions may differ because of the change in methodology. Concordance tables are available to convert data reported in one system to another.

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

All 27 values

Ores and metals exports (% of merchandise exports) in nearby economies

• Australia — 34.64% (2025)
• Brunei Darussalam — 0.21% (2025)
• Cambodia — 2.19% (2024)
• China — 1.63% (2025)
• Fiji — 4.4% (2025)
• French Polynesia — 0.000692% (2024)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 2.03% (2025)
• Indonesia — 9.15% (2025)
• Japan — 3.56% (2025)
• Kiribati

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

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Lao PDR's ores and metals exports (% of merchandise exports)?

20.18% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1962?

It is down 38.01 percentage points from 58.19% in 1962. The highest value was 78% in 1964 and the lowest 11.85% in 1974.

How does Lao PDR rank?

5th highest of 24 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in ores and metals exports (% of merchandise exports) unusual for Lao PDR?

In 2023, Lao PDR's ores and metals exports (% of merchandise exports) rose 4.07 percentage points on 2022 (from 16.11% to 20.18%). Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1963 to 2022), the average change was −3.35 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 11.92 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 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 TX.VAL.MMTL.ZS.UN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division; World Integrated Trade Solution system (WITS); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB) 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.