Lao PDR's total reserves (% of total external debt) was 12.41% in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 0.67 percentage points from 13.08% in 2014.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 12.41% | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | 5.83% | 2019 |
| Ten years earlier | 13.08% | 2014 |
| Highest | 19.03% | 2010 |
| Lowest | 0.05% | 1988 |
| Average since 2015 | 8.59% | 2015–2024 |
| First recorded | 0.05% | 1988 |
What the numbers say
In 2024, Lao PDR's total reserves (% of total external debt) rose 2.61 percentage points on 2023 (from 9.8% to 12.41%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.21 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.06 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 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 4.31 percentage points in 2003 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.34 percentage points in 2013. 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 upward, about 0.43 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 39% 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 87th highest value of the 96 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Lao PDR | 12.41% | 2024 |
| East Asia & Pacific | 119.96% | 2024 |
| Lower middle income | 55.78% | 2024 |
Closest to Lao PDR in the 2024 ranking
What this measures
Reserve assets are external assets, including monetary gold, that are readily available to and controlled by monetary authorities for meeting balance of payments financing needs, for intervention in exchange markets to affect the currency exchange rate, and for other related purposes (such as maintaining confidence in the currency and the economy, and serving as a basis for foreign borrowing). Reserve assets must be denominated and settled in foreign currency. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of total external debt which are all liabilities that require payment(s) of interest and/or principal by the debtor at some point(s) in the future and that are owed to non-residents by residents of an economy.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 37 values
| Year | Total reserves (% of total external debt) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 12.41 |
| 2023 | 9.8 |
| 2022 | 8.52 |
| 2021 | 10.42 |
| 2020 | 9.27 |
| 2019 | 5.83 |
| 2018 | 6.14 |
| 2017 | 7.47 |
| 2016 | 6.77 |
| 2015 | 9.3 |
| 2014 |
Total reserves (% of total external debt) in nearby economies
- Cambodia — 107.29% (2024)
- China — 142.82% (2024)
- Fiji — 41.35% (2024)
- Indonesia — 36.98% (2024)
- Mongolia — 14.49% (2024)
- Myanmar — 76.79% (2023)
- Papua New Guinea — 28.85% (2024)
- Philippines — 77.5% (2024)
- Samoa — 128.56% (2024)
- Solomon Islands — 115.04% (2024)
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
Questions people ask
- What is Lao PDR's total reserves (% of total external debt)?
- 12.41% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1988?
- It is up 12.36 percentage points from 0.05% in 1988. The highest value was 19.03% in 2010 and the lowest 0.05% in 1988.
- How does Lao PDR rank?
- 87th highest of 96 economies with data for 2024.
- Is the latest change in total reserves (% of total external debt) unusual for Lao PDR?
- In 2024, Lao PDR's total reserves (% of total external debt) rose 2.61 percentage points on 2023 (from 9.8% to 12.41%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.21 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.06 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 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 FI.RES.TOTL.DT.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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