External debt stocks, short-term (DOD, current US$) in Laos
Laos: External debt stocks, short-term (DOD, current US$) was 750.05 million DOD, current US$ in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
750.05 million DOD, current US$
Change on year
down 43.3%
World rank
70th
of 123 countries
All-time high
1.32 billion DOD, current US$
in 2024
All-time low
0 DOD, current US$
in 1992
Years of data
52
1974–2025
External debt stocks, short-term in Laos, 1974–2025
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in DOD, current US$.
Analysis
The most recent figure for external debt stocks, short-term in Laos is 750.05 million DOD, current US$, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 43.3% on the previous year and up 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external debt stocks, short-term in Laos peaked at 1.32 billion DOD, current US$ in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0 DOD, current US$, in 1992.
Laos ranks 70th of 123 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
External debt stocks, short-term (DOD, current US$) in Laos, year by year
| Year | DOD, current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 29,925 DOD, current US$ | — |
| 1975 | 55,958 DOD, current US$ | +87.0% |
| 1976 | 249,107 DOD, current US$ | +345.2% |
| 1977 | 359,192 DOD, current US$ | +44.2% |
| 1978 | 613,174 DOD, current US$ | +70.7% |
| 1979 | 1.03 million DOD, current US$ | +68.8% |
| 1980 | 1.42 million DOD, current US$ | +37.3% |
| 1981 | 1.44 million DOD, current US$ | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 1.50 million DOD, current US$ | +4.2% |
| 1983 | 1.45 million DOD, current US$ | -3.4% |
| 1984 | 1.46 million DOD, current US$ | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 2.03 million DOD, current US$ | +39.0% |
| 1986 | 2.62 million DOD, current US$ | +29.3% |
| 1987 | 3.47 million DOD, current US$ | +32.3% |
| 1988 | 177,813 DOD, current US$ | -94.9% |
| 1989 | 2,000 DOD, current US$ | -98.9% |
| 1990 | 160,634 DOD, current US$ | +7931.7% |
| 1991 | 158,332 DOD, current US$ | -1.4% |
| 1992 | 0 DOD, current US$ | -100.0% |
| 1993 | 0 DOD, current US$ | — |
| 1994 | 0 DOD, current US$ | — |
| 1995 | 0 DOD, current US$ | — |
| 1996 | 89,154 DOD, current US$ | — |
| 1997 | 83,654 DOD, current US$ | -6.2% |
| 1998 | 168,964 DOD, current US$ | +102.0% |
| 1999 | 241,562 DOD, current US$ | +43.0% |
| 2000 | 2.30 million DOD, current US$ | +852.5% |
| 2001 | 2.00 million DOD, current US$ | -13.1% |
| 2002 | 9.00 million DOD, current US$ | +350.0% |
| 2003 | 0 DOD, current US$ | -100.0% |
| 2004 | 3.00 million DOD, current US$ | — |
| 2005 | 57.00 million DOD, current US$ | +1800.0% |
| 2006 | 102.00 million DOD, current US$ | +78.9% |
| 2007 | 168.00 million DOD, current US$ | +64.7% |
| 2008 | 149.00 million DOD, current US$ | -11.3% |
| 2009 | 204.00 million DOD, current US$ | +36.9% |
| 2010 | 56.00 million DOD, current US$ | -72.5% |
| 2011 | 57.00 million DOD, current US$ | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 59.14 million DOD, current US$ | +3.8% |
| 2013 | 802.23 million DOD, current US$ | +1256.5% |
| 2014 | 823.37 million DOD, current US$ | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 698.66 million DOD, current US$ | -15.1% |
| 2016 | 721.98 million DOD, current US$ | +3.3% |
| 2017 | 744.87 million DOD, current US$ | +3.2% |
| 2018 | 403.80 million DOD, current US$ | -45.8% |
| 2019 | 584.91 million DOD, current US$ | +44.9% |
| 2020 | 984.68 million DOD, current US$ | +68.3% |
| 2021 | 861.09 million DOD, current US$ | -12.6% |
| 2022 | 750.35 million DOD, current US$ | -12.9% |
| 2023 | 140.16 million DOD, current US$ | -81.3% |
| 2024 | 1.32 billion DOD, current US$ | +843.2% |
| 2025 | 750.05 million DOD, current US$ | -43.3% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 750.05 million DOD, current US$ is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.27 billion DOD, current US$, 59% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Laos's 750.05 million DOD, current US$ is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.08 billion DOD, current US$, 70% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where External debt stocks, short-term (DOD, current US$) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | +7931.7% | 2,000 DOD, current US$ | 160,634 DOD, current US$ |
| 2005 | +1800.0% | 3.00 million DOD, current US$ | 57.00 million DOD, current US$ |
| 2013 | +1256.5% | 59.14 million DOD, current US$ | 802.23 million DOD, current US$ |
| 2000 | +852.5% | 241,562 DOD, current US$ | 2.30 million DOD, current US$ |
| 2024 | +843.2% | 140.16 million DOD, current US$ | 1.32 billion DOD, current US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 390,379 DOD, current US$ | 29,925 DOD, current US$ | 1.03 million DOD, current US$ | 6 |
| 1980s | 1.56 million DOD, current US$ | 2,000 DOD, current US$ | 3.47 million DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 90,230 DOD, current US$ | 0 DOD, current US$ | 241,562 DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 69.63 million DOD, current US$ | 0 DOD, current US$ | 204.00 million DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 495.20 million DOD, current US$ | 56.00 million DOD, current US$ | 823.37 million DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 801.39 million DOD, current US$ | 140.16 million DOD, current US$ | 1.32 billion DOD, current US$ | 6 |
Countries ranked near Laos
- 67 Ethiopia 940.63 million DOD, current US$ compare
- 68 Djibouti 775.89 million DOD, current US$ compare
- 69 Bolivia 760.72 million DOD, current US$ compare
- 71 Cameroon 748.09 million DOD, current US$ compare
- 72 Uganda 623.68 million DOD, current US$ compare
- 73 Guatemala 603.48 million DOD, current US$ compare
More external debt data for Laos
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per capita -1.76 NFL, US$ per person (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per unit of GDP -0.0008 NFL, US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per square kilometre 53.98 NFL, US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per capita 9.82 NFL, current US$ per person (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0046 NFL, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per square kilometre 314.48 NFL, current US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Use of IMF credit 208.28 million DOD, current US$ (2025)
- External debt stocks, public and publicly guaranteed (PPG) 10.12 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
- External debt stocks, long-term 18.45 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
- Short-term debt 3.9% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external debt stocks, short-term in Laos?
- External debt stocks, short-term in Laos was 750.05 million DOD, current US$ in 2025, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest external debt stocks, short-term recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 1.32 billion DOD, current US$ in 2024.
- What is the lowest external debt stocks, short-term recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 DOD, current US$ in 1992.
- How does Laos rank for external debt stocks, short-term?
- Laos ranks 70th out of 123 countries with data for 2025.
- Is external debt stocks, short-term rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as part of External debt stocks, short-term (DOD, current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Short-term external debt is defined as debt that has an original maturity of one year or less. Available data permit no distinction between public and private nonguaranteed short-term debt. Data are in current U.S. dollars.