Lao PDR: Short-term debt (% of exports of goods, services and primary income)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Lao PDR's short-term debt (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) rose 7.84 percentage points on 2023 (from 1.43% to 9.26%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.05 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.88 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 23.4 percentage points in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 11.25 percentage points in 2010. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.85 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 35% 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 2024, Lao PDR had the 62nd highest value of the 99 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 2024 ranking

• Nepal — 58th of 99: 9.77%
• Kenya — 59th of 99: 9.75%
• Djibouti — 60th of 99: 9.38%
• Ghana — 62nd of 99: 9.05%
• Mexico — 63rd of 99: 8.67%
• Viet Nam — 64th of 99: 8.49%

What this measures

Short-term external debt is defined as debt that has an original maturity of one year or less. Available data permit no distinction between public and private nonguaranteed short-term debt. Exports of goods, services and primary income is the sum of goods (merchandise) exports, exports of (nonfactor) services and income (factor) receipts.

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

All 37 values

Short-term debt (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) in nearby economies

• Cambodia — 13.29% (2024)
• China — 31% (2024)
• Fiji — 31.46% (2024)
• Indonesia — 20.86% (2024)
• Mongolia — 13.88% (2024)
• Myanmar — 0.35% (2019)
• Papua New Guinea — 0.89% (2024)
• Philippines — 16.99% (2024)
• Samoa

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 short-term debt (% of exports of goods, services and primary income)?

9.26% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1988?

It is up 9.03 percentage points from 0.23% in 1988. The highest value was 25.4% in 2013 and the lowest 0% in 1992.

How does Lao PDR rank?

62nd highest of 99 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in short-term debt (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) unusual for Lao PDR?

In 2024, Lao PDR's short-term debt (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) rose 7.84 percentage points on 2023 (from 1.43% to 9.26%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.05 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.88 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator DT.DOD.DSTC.XP.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Debt Statistics, 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.

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