Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average in Laos
Laos: Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average was 21,015 in 2026. ◆ Volatile
Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average in Laos, 1987–2026
Source: World Bank staff calculations based on Datastream and IMF International Finance Statistics data.
Analysis
Laos recorded 21,015 for official exchange rate, lcu per usd, period average in 2026. That is the highest value across all 40 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and up 158.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, official exchange rate, lcu per usd, period average in Laos peaked at 21,015 in 2026 and was at its lowest, 187.5, in 1987.
That places Laos 8th out of 195 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average in Laos, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 187.5 | — |
| 1988 | 400.38 | +113.5% |
| 1989 | 591.5 | +47.7% |
| 1990 | 707.75 | +19.7% |
| 1991 | 702.08 | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 716.08 | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 716.25 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 717.67 | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 804.69 | +12.1% |
| 1996 | 921.02 | +14.5% |
| 1997 | 1,260 | +36.8% |
| 1998 | 3,298 | +161.8% |
| 1999 | 7,102 | +115.3% |
| 2000 | 7,888 | +11.1% |
| 2001 | 8,955 | +13.5% |
| 2002 | 10,056 | +12.3% |
| 2003 | 10,569 | +5.1% |
| 2004 | 10,585 | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 10,655 | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 10,154 | -4.7% |
| 2007 | 9,603 | -5.4% |
| 2008 | 8,740 | -9.0% |
| 2009 | 8,511 | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 8,254 | -3.0% |
| 2011 | 8,029 | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 8,007 | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 7,833 | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 8,042 | +2.7% |
| 2015 | 8,128 | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 8,124 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 8,245 | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 8,401 | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 8,679 | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 9,046 | +4.2% |
| 2021 | 9,698 | +7.2% |
| 2022 | 14,035 | +44.7% |
| 2023 | 17,689 | +26.0% |
| 2024 | 20,167 | +14.0% |
| 2025 | 20,444 | +1.4% |
| 2026 | 21,015 | +2.8% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 21,015 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 129.28, 162.6× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Laos's 21,015 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.06, 2608.4× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average in Laos changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +161.8% | 1,260 | 3,298 |
| 1999 | +115.3% | 3,298 | 7,102 |
| 1988 | +113.5% | 187.5 | 400.38 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 393.12 | 187.5 | 591.5 | 3 |
| 1990s | 1,695 | 702.08 | 7,102 | 10 |
| 2000s | 9,572 | 7,888 | 10,655 | 10 |
| 2010s | 8,174 | 7,833 | 8,679 | 10 |
| 2020s | 16,013 | 9,046 | 21,015 | 7 |
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 official exchange rate, lcu per usd, period average in Laos?
- Official exchange rate, lcu per usd, period average in Laos was 21,015 in 2026, according to World Bank staff calculations based on Datastream and IMF International Finance Statistics data.
- What is the highest official exchange rate, lcu per usd, period average recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 21,015 in 2026.
- What is the lowest official exchange rate, lcu per usd, period average recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 187.5 in 1987.
- How does Laos rank for official exchange rate, lcu per usd, period average?
- Laos ranks 8th out of 195 countries with data for 2026.
- Is official exchange rate, lcu per usd, period average rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is up 158.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank staff calculations based on Datastream and IMF International Finance Statistics data, published as part of Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Official exchange rate refers to the exchange rate determined by national authorities or to the rate determined in the legally sanctioned exchange market. It is calculated as an annual average based on monthly averages (local currency units relative to the U.S. dollar).