Imports and exports

In Laos, economic activities are centered in major cities located along the Mekong River, which borders Laos and Thailand. Thus, around 90% of gasoline is imported from Thailand. In addition, the Laos government in partnership with Thailand, built four Thai-Lao ”friendship bridges” to enhance the commodities trade, including fuel imports, between the two countries.

In 2018, Laos imported 191,000 tonnes of gasoline. Of this, 89% came from Thailand, followed by Viet Nam at 10.7%. The rest came from China, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia. The figure below shows gasoline import volumes from 2010 to 2018.