Laos vs Thailand
Laos vs Thailand: Government debt
Government debt: 88.8% of GDP in Laos in 2025 and 62.9% of GDP in Thailand in 2024, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Laos, by 36.3 percentage points, or 1.58 times that in Thailand.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Laos has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2001.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Laos at 52.1% of GDP and Thailand at 69.8% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Laos | Thailand |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 88.8 | 64.7 |
| 2024 | 99.2 | 62.9 |
| 2023 | 108.8 | 62.2 |
| 2022 | 115.7 | 60.6 |
| 2021 | 92.2 | 58.4 |
| 2020 | 75.4 | 49.4 |
| 2019 | 69.1 | 41.1 |
| 2018 | 60.6 | 41.9 |
| 2017 | 57.2 | 41.8 |
| 2016 | 54.5 | 41.7 |
| 2015 | 53.1 | 42.6 |
| 2014 | 53.5 | 43.3 |
| 2013 | 49.5 | 42.2 |
| 2012 | 46.1 | 41.9 |
| 2011 | 43 | 39.1 |
| 2010 | 49.3 | 39.8 |
| 2009 | 51.8 | 42.4 |
| 2008 | 51.7 | 35 |
| 2007 | 55.9 | 36 |
| 2006 | 60 | 39.2 |
| 2005 | 73.2 | 45.5 |
| 2004 | 80.7 | 46.3 |
| 2003 | 90.2 | 47.5 |
| 2002 | 95.3 | 54.9 |
| 2001 | 94.7 | 57.5 |
| 2000 | – | 57.8 |
| 1999 | – | 56.6 |
| 1998 | – | 49.9 |
| 1997 | – | 40.5 |
| 1996 | – | 15.2 |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Laos | Thailand |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 79.8 | 67.2 |
| 2027 | 71.9 | 68.5 |
| 2028 | 66.5 | 69.1 |
| 2029 | 61.8 | 69.4 |
| 2030 | 57.5 | 69.6 |
| 2031 | 52.1 | 69.8 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the government owes, as a share of the economy’s yearly output.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 149 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Laos vs Thailand
Health
- Life expectancyLaos: 69 years in 2023Thailand: 76.4 years in 2023
- Child mortalityLaos: 2.9 per 100 live births in 2024Thailand: 0.9 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityLaos: 31.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023Thailand: 6.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionLaos: 2.91% in 2017Thailand: 3.09% in 2017
- Suicide rateLaos: 8.4 per 100,000 people in 2017Thailand: 10.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationLaos: 7.67 million people in 2023Thailand: 71.7 million people in 2023
- Population growthLaos: 1.38% a year in 2023Thailand: -0.04% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateLaos: 2.42 births per woman in 2023Thailand: 1.21 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationLaos: 40.3% in 2025Thailand: 62.8% in 2025
- Median ageLaos: 24.3 years in 2023Thailand: 39.7 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overLaos: 4.5% in 2023Thailand: 14.7% in 2023
- Net migration rateLaos: -1.3 per 1,000 people in 2023Thailand: 0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingLaos: 0.19% of GDP in 2013Thailand: 1.04% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsLaos: $21.8M in 2013Thailand: $5.57B in 2025
- Military spending per personLaos: $3 in 2013Thailand: $84 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingLaos: 0.8% of government spending in 2013Thailand: 4.4% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelLaos: 129,000 people in 2020Thailand: 455,000 people in 2020
- National powerLaos: 0.06% of world capability in 2022Thailand: 0.79% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersLaos: 4.08% of the labour force in 2020Thailand: 1.13% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsLaos: 7 million TIV in 2024Thailand: 33 million TIV in 2025