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Laos
45
Moderate
Risk
Risk
#32
of 171
Riskier
than 82% of currencies
36
global avg score
$689
$1,000 in 5 years
Impact on Citizens
Citizens need to earn at least 9.2% per year on savings to stay ahead. Money sitting in a regular account is slowly losing value.See savings calculator ↓
Economic Indicators
Inflation Rate
7.7%
Debt to GDP
95.0%
GDP Growth
4.5%
Broad Money / GDP
36.2%
Banking & Stability
NPL Ratio
Not available
Reserve Months
2.4
Current Account
3.2%
FX Volatility
13.4
Governance & Markets
Rule of Law
-0.8
Black Market Premium
10.0%
Capital Controls
56.0
Peg Fragility
Not available
Currency Structure
Global Currency Role
70.0
FX Regime
managed float
Data Coverage
83.0%
Savings Impact Calculator
LAK
Holding cash in LAK7.7% inflation
LAK 689−LAK 311 (31% purchasing power lost)
Your LAK 1,000 buys 31% less in 5 years
What if you invested LAK 1,000 instead? (5yr, in LAK terms)
USD-denominated assets gain an additional ~4.7%/yr from expected LAK depreciation vs USD
Hold USD Cash
LAK 1090
+LAK 90
+1.7%/yr net in LAK
S&P 500
LAK 1989
+LAK 989
range: LAK 939–LAK 3820
10% USD return + 4.7% FX · ±16% vol
Gold
LAK 1822
+LAK 822
range: LAK 550–LAK 4781
8% USD return + 4.7% FX · ±24% vol
Bitcoin
LAK 3676
+LAK 2676
range: LAK 249–LAK 20.9k
25% USD return + 4.7% FX · ±54% vol
All values in LAK. USD-denominated assets (S&P 500, Gold, Bitcoin) include an estimated FX gain of ~4.7%/yr based on the inflation differential between Laos (7.7%) and the US (~3%). This uses purchasing power parity as a long-run approximation — actual FX movements can differ significantly in the short term. S&P 500 based on 1957-2024, Gold on 2000-2024, Bitcoin on 2015-2024. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Not financial advice.
Data last updated: 2026-08-17
Note: World Bank does not cover this country directly. Data sourced from national statistics and IMF estimates.