Total natural resource rents in Laos
Laos: Total natural resource rents was 5.4% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Total natural resource rents in Laos, 1984–2021
Source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Laos recorded 5.4% for total natural resource rents in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 91.0% on the previous year and down 64.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total natural resource rents in Laos peaked at 15.3% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 1985.
Laos ranks 72nd of 211 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Total natural resource rents in Laos, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 1.9% | — |
| 1985 | 1.5% | -20.8% |
| 1986 | 2.9% | +89.8% |
| 1987 | 5.0% | +73.8% |
| 1988 | 9.1% | +82.3% |
| 1989 | 7.8% | -14.6% |
| 1990 | 6.9% | -11.9% |
| 1991 | 7.0% | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 7.1% | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 6.1% | -14.1% |
| 1994 | 6.4% | +5.5% |
| 1995 | 9.1% | +40.7% |
| 1996 | 8.5% | -5.9% |
| 1997 | 7.6% | -10.4% |
| 1998 | 8.6% | +12.4% |
| 1999 | 5.1% | -40.2% |
| 2000 | 4.0% | -21.6% |
| 2001 | 4.6% | +13.2% |
| 2002 | 4.8% | +5.6% |
| 2003 | 6.6% | +36.7% |
| 2004 | 6.1% | -6.7% |
| 2005 | 6.6% | +7.5% |
| 2006 | 13.3% | +101.3% |
| 2007 | 13.2% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 13.0% | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 10.6% | -18.6% |
| 2010 | 14.8% | +39.8% |
| 2011 | 15.3% | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 12.1% | -20.6% |
| 2013 | 12.5% | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 8.1% | -35.2% |
| 2015 | 5.5% | -32.0% |
| 2016 | 4.4% | -21.2% |
| 2017 | 5.0% | +14.2% |
| 2018 | 3.9% | -22.0% |
| 2019 | 3.1% | -20.0% |
| 2020 | 2.8% | -9.2% |
| 2021 | 5.4% | +91.0% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 5.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.4%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Laos's 5.4% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.7%, 7.7× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4.7% | 1.5% | 9.1% | 6 |
| 1990s | 7.2% | 5.1% | 9.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.3% | 4.0% | 13.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.5% | 3.1% | 15.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.1% | 2.8% | 5.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Laos
More reference data data for Laos
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6615 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.913 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3021 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 12.95 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.64 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total natural resource rents in Laos?
- Total natural resource rents in Laos was 5.4% in 2021, according to The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total natural resource rents recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 15.3% in 2011.
- What is the lowest total natural resource rents recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 1985.
- How does Laos rank for total natural resource rents?
- Laos ranks 72nd out of 211 countries with data for 2021.
- Is total natural resource rents rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 64.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Total natural resource rents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 38 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Natural resources rents are estimated as the difference between the price of a commodity and the average cost of producing it. Total natural resources rents are the sum of oil rents, natural gas rents, coal rents, mineral rents, and forest rents.