Laos had a population of 7.6 million on 1 July 2023, with 38.2% living in urban areas. The economy grew 3.7% in 2023, while annual-average consumer prices rose 31.2%. These figures come from the Asian Development Bank’s Key Indicators 2024 and the IMF’s Country Report No. 24/319.
Contents
- Population and labor
- Prices and household costs
- Growth and inflation
- Public finance
- Money and interest rates
- Trade, reserves, and debt
- Greenhouse gas emissions
Population and labor
The ADB recorded Laos’s total population at 7.6 million as of 1 July 2023. Population density was 33 persons per square kilometer, and the population growth rate was 1.4% during 2023. Urban residents accounted for 38.2% of the total population. Because the population figure is dated to 1 July while the other indicators describe 2023, these measures should be read as annual statistics with different reference points.
The labor force numbered 2,536 thousand people in 2023, or about 2.536 million. Employed persons numbered 2,475 thousand. Both figures are reported by the ADB in Key Indicators 2024 and use the 2023 measurement year. The labor-force total and employed-person total are separate reported measures; the supplied figures do not provide a fuller breakdown by age, sector, sex, or location.
| Population and labor measure | Laos, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Total population, 1 July | 7.6 million |
| Population density | 33 persons/km² |
| Population growth | 1.4% |
| Urban population | 38.2% |
| Labor force | 2,536 thousand |
| Employed persons | 2,475 thousand |
Source: Asian Development Bank, Key Indicators 2024.
Prices and household costs
The national consumer price index for the basket was 189.5 in 2023, using December 2015 as the base period equal to 100. This index level is not itself an inflation rate: it expresses the basket’s position relative to the stated base. The same ADB table reports separate category indexes, which show that price levels differed substantially across household spending groups.
Among the national categories, transport had an index of 208.4, and food and nonalcoholic beverages reached 204.8. Health stood at 189.2, while miscellaneous goods and services were at 181.4. Clothing and footwear measured 181.1; furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance measured 174.4; and restaurants and hotels measured 174.0.
Other national category indexes were 158.1 for alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and narcotics; 153.1 for housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels; 138.2 for recreation and culture; 134.0 for communication; and 122.1 for education. All are 2023 indexes from the ADB, with the national CPI base of December 2015 = 100 applying to the reported consumer-price series.
Vientiane’s consumer CPI was 182.1 in 2023. Within the capital’s reported categories, food and nonalcoholic beverages measured 205.5, transport measured 208.4, and housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels measured 131.6. The national and Vientiane series should not be treated as interchangeable: they describe different geographic coverage.
Growth and inflation
The IMF’s Country Report No. 24/319 reports real GDP growth of 1.4% in 2020, 2.1% in 2021, 2.3% in 2022, and 3.7% in 2023. The same series gives 4.1% for 2024 and 3.5% for 2025. The 2024 and 2025 entries are later-year figures in the report’s presented series; they should be distinguished from the ADB’s 2023 population and price-index observations.
Inflation depends on the measurement convention. On an annual-average basis, consumer prices rose 5.1% in 2020, 3.8% in 2021, 23.0% in 2022, and 31.2% in 2023. The corresponding figures were 22.0% in 2024 and 23.7% in 2025, according to the IMF report.
On an end-period basis, consumer prices rose 3.2% in 2020, 5.3% in 2021, 39.3% in 2022, and 24.4% in 2023. The report gives 16.2% for 2024 and 37.7% for 2025. End-period inflation compares the price level at the end of one period with the end of the preceding period, so it is not directly interchangeable with the annual-average series.
The GDP deflator rose 4.6% in 2020, 5.6% in 2021, 25.6% in 2022, and 24.1% in 2023. It then measured 14.6% in 2024 and 13.5% in 2025. The GDP deflator covers prices associated with domestically produced output, whereas the consumer-price measures describe changes in the consumer basket.
Public finance
IMF fiscal statistics express each item as a share of GDP. Revenue and grants were 13.0% of GDP in 2020, 15.0% in 2021, 14.8% in 2022, and 16.4% in 2023. The series records 16.5% in both 2024 and 2025.
Total expenditure was 18.4% of GDP in 2020, 15.7% in 2021, 14.7% in 2022, and 15.7% in 2023. It was 17.0% in 2024 and 16.6% in 2025. Current expenditure measured 11.8%, 11.0%, 10.4%, and 10.4% of GDP from 2020 through 2023, followed by 10.9% in 2024 and 11.1% in 2025.
Net acquisition of nonfinancial assets was 6.6% of GDP in 2020, 4.7% in 2021, 4.3% in 2022, and 5.3% in 2023. The reported figures were 6.1% in 2024 and 5.6% in 2025.
| IMF fiscal measure | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue and grants (% of GDP) | 13.0% | 15.0% | 14.8% | 16.4% | 16.5% | 16.5% |
| Expenditure (% of GDP) | 18.4% | 15.7% | 14.7% | 15.7% | 17.0% | 16.6% |
| Current expenditure (% of GDP) | 11.8% | 11.0% | 10.4% | 10.4% | 10.9% | 11.1% |
| Net acquisition of nonfinancial assets (% of GDP) | 6.6% | 4.7% | 4.3% | 5.3% | 6.1% | 5.6% |
Source: IMF, Country Report No. 24/319. The IMF-reported overall fiscal balance was -5.4% of GDP in 2020, -0.7% in 2021, 0.1% in 2022, 0.7% in 2023, -0.5% in 2024, and -0.1% in 2025.
Money and interest rates
The ADB reported broad money, or M2, at 95.3% of GDP in 2023. Broad money supply increased 33.3% during 2023. These measures describe monetary conditions relative to the economy and the reported annual change, rather than a household price index.
Deposit and lending rates also varied by product and term. The savings deposit interest rate was 1.76% per annum in 2023. The six-month time-deposit rate was 3.17% per annum, while the 12-month time-deposit rate was 5.46% per annum. The loan and discount rate was 9.49% per annum. All four rates are from the ADB’s 2023 indicators and should be interpreted as distinct quoted rates rather than a single market-wide rate.
Trade, reserves, and debt
Exports of goods and services were 40.9% of GDP in 2023, while imports were 36.8%. The ADB reported the balance on goods at 4.2% of GDP and the balance on services at 1.4%. The current account balance was 3.0% of GDP. The overall balance, however, was -7.6% of GDP, a separate external indicator that should not be substituted for the current account.
Gross official reserves were US$1.7697 billion at end-2023. Foreign exchange reserves were US$1.6773 billion at end-2023. The end-of-year date matters: these are stock measures at the close of 2023 rather than totals accumulated over the year.
External debt was 130.7% of gross national income in 2023. Long-term debt made up 94.9% of total debt, and short-term debt made up 4.0%. Debt service was 13.1% of exports of goods and services. The grant element of new commitments was 32.4%. These debt indicators use different denominators and concepts, so they should be read individually rather than combined into one ratio.
Greenhouse gas emissions
The ADB reported Laos’s 2023 carbon dioxide emissions at 19,179 thousand tons. Nitrous oxide emissions were 3,143 thousand tons of CO2 equivalent, and methane emissions were 8,011 thousand tons of CO2 equivalent. Total greenhouse gas emissions were 30,491 thousand tons of CO2 equivalent.
The emissions figures use different labels: carbon dioxide is reported in thousand tons, while nitrous oxide, methane, and total greenhouse gas emissions are reported in thousand tons of CO2 equivalent. That distinction preserves the measurement basis used by the ADB and is important when comparing the individual gases with the total.
Source: Asian Development Bank, Key Indicators 2024, for the 2023 emissions measures.