Total natural resource rents in Laos

Laos: Total natural resource rents was 5.4% in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
5.4%
Change on year
up 91.0%
World rank
72nd
of 211 countries
All-time high
15.3%
in 2011
All-time low
1.5%
in 1985
Years of data
38
1984–2021

Total natural resource rents in Laos, 1984–2021

0510151984200220211984: 1.9 % of GDP1985: 1.5 % of GDP1986: 2.9 % of GDP1987: 5 % of GDP1988: 9.1 % of GDP1989: 7.8 % of GDP1990: 6.9 % of GDP1991: 7 % of GDP1992: 7.1 % of GDP1993: 6.1 % of GDP1994: 6.4 % of GDP1995: 9.1 % of GDP1996: 8.5 % of GDP1997: 7.6 % of GDP1998: 8.6 % of GDP1999: 5.1 % of GDP2000: 4 % of GDP2001: 4.6 % of GDP2002: 4.8 % of GDP2003: 6.6 % of GDP2004: 6.1 % of GDP2005: 6.6 % of GDP2006: 13.3 % of GDP2007: 13.2 % of GDP2008: 13 % of GDP2009: 10.6 % of GDP2010: 14.8 % of GDP2011: 15.3 % of GDP2012: 12.1 % of GDP2013: 12.5 % of GDP2014: 8.1 % of GDP2015: 5.5 % of GDP2016: 4.4 % of GDP2017: 5 % of GDP2018: 3.9 % of GDP2019: 3.1 % of GDP2020: 2.8 % of GDP2021: 5.4 % of GDP

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 69 Ethiopia 5.9% compare
  2. 70 Madagascar 5.5% compare
  3. 71 Cameroon 5.5% compare
  4. 73 Colombia 5.3% compare
  5. 74 Indonesia 5.2% compare
  6. 75 Egypt 5.1% compare

See the full ranking of 211 places →

More reference data data for Laos

All data for Laos →

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

Indicator
Total natural resource rents
Unit
% of GDP
Source
The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
211 places, 9,209 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed

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.