Two-way investment brief
Australia–Laos
Laos direct investment in Australia
—
Total Laos investment in Australia
—
Australian direct investment in Laos
—
Total Australian investment in Laos
—
Trend
Direct investment in both directions
- Laos in Australia
- Australia in Laos
Source: ABS, International Investment Position, Australia: Supplementary Statistics (5352.0).
- Direct investment
- Portfolio investment
- Other investment
Source: ABS, International Investment Position, Australia: Supplementary Statistics (5352.0).
Net transactions during the year; negative = net disinvestment
- Laos → Australia
- Australia → Laos
Source: ABS, International Investment Position, Australia: Supplementary Statistics (5352.0).
Trade relationship
Australia–Laos trade
Investment and trade move together: the partners that invest most in Australia are usually major trading partners too. Goods trade is recorded monthly (latest: July 2026); services annually.
Two-way trade, 2025
A$1.1 bn
Goods exports to Laos, 2025
A$38 m
Goods imports from Laos, 2025
A$1.0 bn
Services trade, 2025
A$0 k
Calendar years, A$ (ABS merchandise trade)
- Exports to Laos
- Imports from Laos
Source: ABS, International Merchandise Trade (MERCH_EXP / MERCH_IMP), summed to calendar years.
Calendar years, A$ (ABS international trade in services by country)
- Exports to Laos
- Imports from Laos
Source: ABS, International Trade in Services by Country, calendar years.
Economic outlook
Laos’s economy
| IMF World Economic Outlook | 2024 | 2025 | 2026forecast | 2027forecast | 2028forecast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real GDP growth | 4.3% | 4.8% | 4.0% | 4.0% | 3.5% |
| Inflation | 23.1% | 7.7% | 9.6% | 8.5% | 8.0% |
| Current account, % GDP | 4.3% | 11.4% | 0.2% | 0.9% | 1.4% |
| Fiscal balance, % GDP | 2.4% | 1.6% | 0.4% | 1.8% | 1.7% |
| Government gross debt, % GDP | 94.7% | 80.6% | 74.6% | 68.6% | 63.1% |
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook via the IMF DataMapper API. Years from 2026 are IMF projections; recent years may be estimates and are revised in each WEO round (April and October).
2025 at a glance
- New FDI from Laos
- —
- New Australian FDI in Laos
- —
- Direct investment income paid to investors
- —
- Direct investment income earned by Australians
- —
Laos globally (World Bank)
- FDI outflows, 2022
- $0 k · 141st
- FDI inflows, 2024
- $989 m
- GDP, 2025
- $18.3 bn
- Region · income
- East Asia & Pacific · Lower-middle income
Regulatory openness (OECD FDIRRI)
OECD index data loading — see FDI openness
Sources: ABS, International Investment Position, Australia: Supplementary Statistics (cat. 5352.0), 2025 release, released 2026-05-06 — levels at 31 December and calendar-year flows and income, A$ millions, immediate counterparty basis (investment routed via third economies is attributed to the intermediate economy). World Bank WDI (US$). OECD FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index. np = not published for confidentiality; included in totalsPrepared independently by FDIstats from public statistics; not an Australian Government publication and not investment advice. For foreign investment rules, see the Treasury and FIRB.