Dominica has a GDP of $689M compared to $16.5B for Laos, ranking 190/197 and 139/197 by economy size, respectively.
Dominica has $719M in government debt (100.4% of GDP), compared to $15.9B (91.4% of GDP) in Laos.
The chart below compares the two countries' GDP growth in both current (nominal) and constant dollars, accounting for inflation over time.
| Year | GDP | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Dominica
|
Laos
|
|||
| Current $ | Constant $ | Current $ | Constant $ | |
| 1977 | $45,872,947 | $233,294,627 | - | - |
| 1978 | $57,130,216 | $257,873,956 | - | - |
| 1979 | $55,017,759 | $210,530,140 | - | - |
| 1980 | $72,804,653 | $238,705,772 | - | - |
| 1981 | $82,107,391 | $264,556,011 | - | - |
| 1982 | $89,527,577 | $275,476,045 | - | - |
| 1983 | $98,665,191 | $282,518,089 | - | - |
| 1984 | $109,157,071 | $294,374,375 | $1,757,142,856 | $2,109,467,955 |
| 1985 | $119,491,933 | $298,557,239 | $2,366,666,616 | $2,216,417,220 |
| 1986 | $135,161,959 | $319,675,257 | $1,776,842,097 | $2,324,692,155 |
| 1987 | $151,868,754 | $339,838,969 | $1,087,273,104 | $2,291,546,871 |
| 1988 | $171,106,184 | $366,402,900 | $598,961,269 | $2,245,482,172 |
| 1989 | $185,137,243 | $365,702,570 | $714,046,821 | $2,564,130,388 |
| 1990 | $201,429,630 | $385,516,275 | $865,559,879 | $2,736,044,527 |
| 1991 | $219,762,963 | $390,712,129 | $1,028,087,972 | $2,853,600,421 |
| 1992 | $234,059,259 | $398,641,322 | $1,127,806,945 | $3,012,256,546 |
| 1993 | $245,525,926 | $407,257,612 | $1,327,748,690 | $3,190,357,918 |
| 1994 | $264,374,074 | $407,398,040 | $1,543,606,345 | $3,450,659,812 |
| 1995 | $274,522,222 | $419,745,715 | $1,763,536,305 | $3,693,284,479 |
| 1996 | $292,285,185 | $432,775,471 | $1,873,671,550 | $3,949,167,184 |
| 1997 | $302,988,889 | $442,234,332 | $1,747,011,857 | $4,220,557,557 |
| 1998 | $322,411,111 | $458,925,259 | $1,280,177,839 | $4,388,012,740 |
| 1999 | $331,759,259 | $460,550,217 | $1,454,430,642 | $4,708,617,453 |
| 2000 | $333,470,370 | $471,328,102 | $1,731,198,022 | $4,981,659,930 |
| 2001 | $377,462,963 | $471,027,184 | $1,768,619,058 | $5,268,175,761 |
| 2002 | $375,200,000 | $456,484,594 | $1,758,176,653 | $5,579,985,581 |
| 2003 | $373,318,519 | $482,983,317 | $2,023,324,407 | $5,918,523,435 |
| 2004 | $396,711,111 | $502,775,185 | $2,366,398,120 | $6,294,805,132 |
| 2005 | $391,455,556 | $507,377,018 | $2,735,558,735 | $6,742,212,710 |
| 2006 | $416,674,074 | $529,705,538 | $3,455,030,061 | $7,323,341,972 |
| 2007 | $444,685,185 | $558,086,830 | $4,223,152,739 | $7,879,683,724 |
| 2008 | $480,003,704 | $597,829,935 | $5,446,433,157 | $8,496,261,313 |
| 2009 | $515,618,519 | $591,040,073 | $5,836,137,330 | $9,133,631,713 |
| 2010 | $519,859,259 | $590,415,870 | $7,131,771,015 | $9,912,447,860 |
| 2011 | $532,081,481 | $590,668,208 | $8,750,104,617 | $10,709,275,115 |
| 2012 | $520,355,556 | $589,738,544 | $10,192,846,339 | $11,568,812,077 |
| 2013 | $545,325,926 | $589,765,106 | $11,983,252,627 | $12,497,359,667 |
| 2014 | $572,255,556 | $603,537,404 | $13,279,245,886 | $13,448,654,116 |
| 2015 | $583,177,778 | $583,177,778 | $14,426,380,126 | $14,426,380,126 |
| 2016 | $612,711,111 | $591,617,792 | $15,912,501,723 | $15,439,521,179 |
| 2017 | $563,355,556 | $546,983,994 | $17,071,155,481 | $16,503,694,943 |
| 2018 | $628,244,444 | $563,196,658 | $18,141,641,090 | $17,534,839,203 |
| 2019 | $644,259,259 | $585,432,211 | $18,740,561,513 | $18,491,844,276 |
| 2020 | $528,944,444 | $493,481,872 | $18,981,805,250 | $18,584,864,138 |
| 2021 | $562,911,111 | $520,030,399 | $18,827,148,531 | $19,054,754,737 |
| 2022 | $623,062,963 | $574,096,960 | $15,468,785,204 | $19,570,648,222 |
| 2023 | $659,311,111 | $595,064,187 | $15,843,155,731 | $20,303,702,352 |
| 2024 | $688,881,481 | $607,279,298 | $16,502,933,121 | $21,168,286,229 |
Economic indicators
|
Dominica
|
Laos
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Gross domestic product |
$689M
2024 |
$16.5B
2024 |
| GDP rank |
190/197
2024 |
139/197
2024 |
| GDP growth |
4.49%
2023-2024 |
4.16%
2023-2024 |
| GDP per capita |
$10,405
2024 |
$2,124
2024 |
| GDP per capita rank |
84/197
2024 |
155/197
2024 |
| GDP per capita, PPP |
$21,301
2024 |
$9,788
2024 |
| Government debt |
$719M
2024 |
$15.9B
2024 |
| Debt-to-GDP ratio |
100.4%
2025 |
91.4%
2025 |
| Government debt per person |
$10,858
2024 |
$2,049
2024 |
| Government debt per person rank |
53/185
2024 |
118/185
2024 |
| Average annual personal income after taxes |
$6,142
2025 |
$2,296
2025 |
| Income share by richest 10% | n/a |
31.2%
2018 |
| Income share by poorest 10% | n/a |
3%
2018 |
| Government expenditure, % of GDP |
52.6%
2025 |
18.4%
2025 |
| Consumer prices inflation |
2.59%
2023-2024 |
7.8%
2024-2025 |
| Unemployment rate |
11%
2001 |
1.21%
2022 |
| Population |
65870
|
7954155
|
GDP per capita in Dominica vs Laos
Dominica's GDP per capita is $10,405, ranking 84/197, compared to $2,124 in Laos, ranking 155/197. Adjusted for purchasing power (GDP per capita PPP), Dominica ranks 91st at $21,301, while Laos ranks 133rd at $9,788.
| Year | Current $ | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dominica
|
Laos
|
|||
| GDP per capita | GDP per capita, PPP | GDP per capita | GDP per capita, PPP | |
| 1977 | $634 | - | - | - |
| 1978 | $786 | - | - | - |
| 1979 | $754 | - | - | - |
| 1980 | $996 | - | - | - |
| 1981 | $1,125 | - | - | - |
| 1982 | $1,232 | - | - | - |
| 1983 | $1,363 | - | - | - |
| 1984 | $1,515 | - | $483 | - |
| 1985 | $1,666 | - | $633 | - |
| 1986 | $1,893 | - | $462 | - |
| 1987 | $2,138 | - | $274.7 | - |
| 1988 | $2,423 | - | $147.1 | - |
| 1989 | $2,639 | - | $170.4 | - |
| 1990 | $2,893 | $4,667 | $200.7 | $1,012 |
| 1991 | $3,171 | $4,914 | $231.8 | $1,061 |
| 1992 | $3,376 | $5,125 | $247.3 | $1,114 |
| 1993 | $3,536 | $5,352 | $283.4 | $1,176 |
| 1994 | $3,805 | $5,465 | $321 | $1,265 |
| 1995 | $3,952 | $5,749 | $358 | $1,349 |
| 1996 | $4,211 | $6,041 | $371 | $1,435 |
| 1997 | $4,372 | $6,290 | $339 | $1,528 |
| 1998 | $4,664 | $6,617 | $243.9 | $1,577 |
| 1999 | $4,817 | $6,759 | $272.3 | $1,686 |
| 2000 | $4,867 | $7,111 | $319 | $1,794 |
| 2001 | $5,528 | $7,291 | $320 | $1,908 |
| 2002 | $5,488 | $7,167 | $313 | $2,020 |
| 2003 | $5,447 | $7,714 | $355 | $2,151 |
| 2004 | $5,779 | $8,232 | $409 | $2,315 |
| 2005 | $5,695 | $8,557 | $466 | $2,519 |
| 2006 | $6,056 | $9,200 | $579 | $2,777 |
| 2007 | $6,459 | $9,949 | $697 | $3,021 |
| 2008 | $6,971 | $10,862 | $886 | $3,271 |
| 2009 | $7,487 | $10,804 | $935 | $3,485 |
| 2010 | $7,550 | $10,924 | $1,126 | $3,772 |
| 2011 | $7,705 | $11,123 | $1,362 | $4,100 |
| 2012 | $7,529 | $10,921 | $1,564 | $4,781 |
| 2013 | $7,822 | $11,286 | $1,813 | $5,222 |
| 2014 | $8,132 | $12,083 | $1,981 | $5,799 |
| 2015 | $8,283 | $12,093 | $2,121 | $6,086 |
| 2016 | $8,803 | $12,945 | $2,303 | $6,743 |
| 2017 | $8,225 | $12,696 | $2,432 | $7,142 |
| 2018 | $9,215 | $15,070 | $2,545 | $7,487 |
| 2019 | $9,491 | $16,021 | $2,589 | $7,743 |
| 2020 | $7,828 | $14,244 | $2,584 | $7,913 |
| 2021 | $8,376 | $15,809 | $2,526 | $8,080 |
| 2022 | $9,324 | $18,802 | $2,046 | $8,766 |
| 2023 | $9,913 | $20,286 | $2,067 | $9,292 |
| 2024 | $10,405 | $21,301 | $2,124 | $9,788 |
Spending and national debt comparison
In 2024, Dominica's government spending was $416M, accounting for 52.6% of its GDP, while Laos' spent $2.59B, or 18.4% of GDP.
Debt-to-GDP ratio is 100.4% in Dominica and 91.4% in Laos, ranking 23/185 and 34/185, respectively.
| Year | % of GDP | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dominica
|
Laos
|
|||
| Government spending | Government debt | Government spending | Government debt | |
| 1990 | 32.9% | 56.6% | - | - |
| 1991 | 29.9% | 58.7% | - | - |
| 1992 | 28% | 55.3% | - | - |
| 1993 | 26.1% | 55.4% | - | - |
| 1994 | 27.7% | 57% | - | - |
| 1995 | 29.7% | 59.3% | - | - |
| 1996 | 29% | 54.7% | - | - |
| 1997 | 29.1% | 49.3% | - | - |
| 1998 | 33.5% | 57.1% | - | - |
| 1999 | 35.3% | 62% | - | - |
| 2000 | 38.9% | 69.6% | 19.9% | - |
| 2001 | 29.3% | 97.5% | 18.8% | 94.7% |
| 2002 | 29% | 99.4% | 16.6% | 95.3% |
| 2003 | 31.2% | 98.2% | 16% | 90.1% |
| 2004 | 30.1% | 85.8% | 13.6% | 80.7% |
| 2005 | 32.1% | 84.9% | 15.3% | 73.2% |
| 2006 | 30.9% | 80.4% | 14.7% | 60% |
| 2007 | 35.6% | 74.9% | 15.1% | 55.9% |
| 2008 | 35.9% | 66.5% | 16.1% | 51.7% |
| 2009 | 36.1% | 62.8% | 20.1% | 51.8% |
| 2010 | 39.7% | 67.3% | 22.4% | 49.3% |
| 2011 | 34.7% | 68.6% | 20.2% | 43% |
| 2012 | 36.6% | 74% | 24.7% | 46.1% |
| 2013 | 34.2% | 75.6% | 24.2% | 49.5% |
| 2014 | 33.3% | 73.5% | 25% | 53.5% |
| 2015 | 33.5% | 71.1% | 25.8% | 53.1% |
| 2016 | 45.8% | 72.9% | 21.1% | 54.5% |
| 2017 | 55.7% | 86.7% | 21.8% | 57.2% |
| 2018 | 66.7% | 90% | 20.7% | 60.6% |
| 2019 | 44% | 89.1% | 18.6% | 69.1% |
| 2020 | 70.1% | 118.2% | 18.4% | 76% |
| 2021 | 70.1% | 113.6% | 15.7% | 92.9% |
| 2022 | 72.7% | 108.3% | 14.7% | 130.7% |
| 2023 | 66.8% | 103.2% | 16.5% | 115.6% |
| 2024 | 60.4% | 104.3% | 15.7% | 96.4% |
| 2025 | 52.6% | 100.4% | 18.4% | 91.4% |
Government deficit by year
In 2024, Dominica's government deficit, the difference between spending and revenue, was -$20.6M, equivalent to -2.99% of GDP. This compares to Laos' surplus of $387M, or 2.34% of GDP.
Over the past 25 years, Dominica recorded a fiscal deficit in 18 of those years, while Laos ran a deficit in 23 years. On average, Dominica posted an annual deficit equal to -2.98% of GDP, compared to deficit of -2.63% of GDP for Laos.
| Year | Deficit/surplus, % of GDP | |
|---|---|---|
|
Dominica
|
Laos
|
|
| 1990 | -4.87% | - |
| 1991 | -3.08% | - |
| 1992 | -2.28% | - |
| 1993 | -1.46% | - |
| 1994 | -3.42% | - |
| 1995 | -2.97% | - |
| 1996 | -1.62% | - |
| 1997 | -2.31% | - |
| 1998 | -6.08% | - |
| 1999 | -9.2% | - |
| 2000 | -8.75% | -3.58% |
| 2001 | -6.48% | -3.68% |
| 2002 | -4.13% | -2.85% |
| 2003 | 0.88% | -3.89% |
| 2004 | -0.67% | -1.81% |
| 2005 | 0.98% | -2.54% |
| 2006 | 3.04% | -1.48% |
| 2007 | 1.88% | -1.12% |
| 2008 | 0.72% | -1.86% |
| 2009 | -0.31% | -3.1% |
| 2010 | -3.41% | -1.47% |
| 2011 | -4.34% | -1.43% |
| 2012 | -5.48% | -2.34% |
| 2013 | -2.95% | -4.03% |
| 2014 | -5.65% | -3.13% |
| 2015 | 11.8% | -5.57% |
| 2016 | 11% | -5.06% |
| 2017 | -3.37% | -5.51% |
| 2018 | -19.6% | -4.46% |
| 2019 | -7.95% | -3.2% |
| 2020 | -7.91% | -5.37% |
| 2021 | -8.61% | -0.67% |
| 2022 | -7.49% | 0.06% |
| 2023 | -4.66% | -0.01% |
| 2024 | -2.99% | 2.34% |
| 2025 | -2.76% | -0.87% |
Inflation comparison by year
Over the past 29 years, Dominica has recorded an average annual inflation rate of 1.68%, compared with 15.8% in Laos. In 2024, inflation was 2.59% in Dominica and 7.8% in Laos.
| Year | Inflation | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Dominica
|
Laos
|
Dominica
|
Laos
|
| 1996 | 1.68% | 19.1% | |
| 1997 | 2.44% | 19.5% | |
| 1998 | 1% | 90.1% | |
| 1999 | 1.18% | 128.4% | |
| 2000 | 0.86% | 8.4% | |
| 2001 | 1.3% | 7.8% | |
| 2002 | 0.17% | 10.6% | |
| 2003 | 1.45% | 15.5% | |
| 2004 | 2.39% | 10.5% | |
| 2005 | 1.68% | 7.2% | |
| 2006 | 2.2% | 6.5% | |
| 2007 | 3.63% | 4.7% | |
| 2008 | 6.36% | 7.6% | |
| 2009 | 0.006% | 0.1% | |
| 2010 | 3% | 6% | |
| 2011 | 1.13% | 7.6% | |
| 2012 | 1.36% | 4.3% | |
| 2013 | -0.05% | 6.4% | |
| 2014 | 0.8% | 4.1% | |
| 2015 | -0.84% | 1.3% | |
| 2016 | 0.14% | 1.6% | |
| 2017 | 0.3% | 0.8% | |
| 2018 | 0.99% | 2% | |
| 2019 | 1.5% | 3.3% | |
| 2020 | 1.22% | 5.1% | |
| 2021 | 2.23% | 3.8% | |
| 2022 | 2.88% | 23% | |
| 2023 | 5.09% | 31.2% | |
| 2024 | 2.59% | 23.1% | |
| 2025 | - | 7.8% | |
Balance of trade
|
Dominica
|
Laos
|
|
|---|---|---|
Current account balance
|
-$160M
2024 |
$405M
2023 |
| Current account balance ranking |
92/189
2024 |
60/189
2023 |
| Current account balance, % of GDP |
-23.2%
2024 |
+2.55%
2023 |
| Goods imports |
$231M
2024 |
$7.65B
2023 |
| Goods exports |
$22M
2024 |
$8.37B
2023 |
| Service imports |
$157M
2024 |
$947M
2023 |
| Service exports |
$191M
2024 |
$1.33B
2023 |
| Imports of goods and services, % of GDP | n/a |
41.9%
2016 |
| Exports of goods and services, % of GDP |
8.5%
2025 |
33.2%
2016 |
Economic freedom indices
The indices of economic freedom below are issued by the Heritage Foundation. Higher scores indicate stronger economic health.
|
Dominica
|
Laos
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Economic freedom | 55.3 | 51.1 |
| Economic freedom ranking | 128/197 | 156/197 |
| Property rights | 68.9 | 42.5 |
| Government integrity | 59.9 | 23.2 |
| Judicial effectiveness | 82.9 | 12.5 |
| Tax burden | 76.1 | 88.8 |
| Government spending | 0 | 92.9 |
| Fiscal health | 26.4 | 80 |
| Business freedom | 68 | 55.3 |
| Labor freedom | 49.9 | 42.4 |
| Monetary freedom | 76.8 | 52.3 |
| Trade freedom | 54.6 | 68.4 |
| Investment freedom | 60 | 35 |
| Financial freedom | 40 | 20 |
Economic freedom by year comparison
The Economic Freedom Index for Dominica is 55.3, ranking 128/197, compared to 51.1 for Laos, ranking 156/197. The chart below displays a comparison of annual changes in economic freedom indexes.
| Year | Economic freedom index | |
|---|---|---|
|
Dominica
|
Laos
|
|
| 1996 | - | 38.5 |
| 1997 | - | 35.1 |
| 1998 | - | 35.2 |
| 1999 | - | 35.2 |
| 2000 | - | 36.8 |
| 2001 | - | 33.5 |
| 2002 | - | 36.8 |
| 2003 | - | 41 |
| 2004 | - | 42 |
| 2005 | - | 44.4 |
| 2006 | - | 47.5 |
| 2007 | - | 50.3 |
| 2008 | - | 50.3 |
| 2009 | 62.6 | 50.4 |
| 2010 | 63.2 | 51.1 |
| 2011 | 63.3 | 51.3 |
| 2012 | 61.6 | 50 |
| 2013 | 63.9 | 50.1 |
| 2014 | 65.2 | 51.2 |
| 2015 | 66.1 | 51.4 |
| 2016 | 67 | 49.8 |
| 2017 | 63.7 | 54 |
| 2018 | 64.5 | 53.6 |
| 2019 | 63.6 | 57.4 |
| 2020 | 60.8 | 55.5 |
| 2021 | 53 | 53.9 |
| 2022 | 54.4 | 49.2 |
| 2023 | 59.7 | 50.3 |
| 2024 | 54 | 50.6 |
| 2025 | 55.3 | 51.1 |
More economic indicators
|
Dominica
|
Laos
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Services, % of GDP |
56.9%
2024 |
43.5%
2024 |
| Industry, % of GDP |
13.9%
2024 |
29%
2024 |
| Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, % of GDP |
12.2%
2024 |
16.8%
2024 |
|
GNI, Atlas method
|
$676M
2024 |
$15.5B
2024 |
| GNI per capita, PPP |
$21,380
2024 |
$9,170
2024 |
| Total reserves including gold |
$156M
2024 |
$1.77B
2023 |
| Total reserves ranking |
172/177
2024 |
129/177
2023 |
|
Net foreign direct investment
|
-$36.4M
2024 |
-$1.78B
2023 |
|
Net inflows of foreign direct investment
|
$36.8M
2024 |
$988M
2024 |
|
Net outflows of foreign direct investment
|
$419K
2024 |
$6.67K
2022 |
|
Servicing debt to the IMF, % of GNI
|
7.16%
2023 |
8.36%
2023 |
| Poverty at national poverty lines |
29%
2020 |
22%
2020 |
|
Gross capital formation, % of GDP
|
n/a |
29%
2016 |
GDP per capita map
GDP per capita
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Economy comparisons
The current account balance is the sum of net trade in goods and services, net earnings from cross-border investments, and net transfer payments. It reflects a country's economic transactions with the rest of the world and is a fundamental component of the balance of payments. A surplus indicates that a country exports more than it imports, while a deficit shows the opposite.
Gross National Income (GNI) measures a country's total income. It encompasses income earned by residents, businesses, and foreign sources, defined as employee compensation and investment profits. GNI adds product taxes not included elsewhere and subtracts subsidies. It accounts for income from residents working abroad but excludes earnings from foreigners within the country.
A negative value for Net Foreign Direct Investment indicates a country is a net receiver of investments, as foreign inflows exceed outflows after Balance of Payments adjustments. A positive value indicates a net provider, with outflows exceeding inflows. Inflows are credits (increasing foreign claims on domestic assets), while outflows are debits (increasing domestic assets abroad).
Foreign direct investment (FDI, net inflows) shows how much capital foreign investors bring into a country after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of overseas companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in the reporting country. A positive number means more capital entered the country than was withdrawn, while a negative number means foreign investors pulled out more than they invested.
Foreign direct investment (FDI, net outflows) shows how much capital residents of a country invest abroad after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of domestic companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in other countries. A positive number means more capital was invested abroad than withdrawn, while a negative number means residents pulled back more than they invested.
Principal and interest payments to the IMF in currency, goods, or services on long-term debt expressed as a share of GNI.
Formerly gross domestic investment, gross capital formation measures the share of a country’s economic output invested in fixed assets, including buildings, machinery, and infrastructure. It indicates how much of the economy is devoted to building productive capacity.