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Laos
Background: In 1975 the communist Pathet Lao took control of the government, ending a six-century-old monarchy. Initial closer ties to Vietnam and socialization were replaced with a gradual return to private enterprise, an easing of foreign investment laws, and the admission into ASEAN in 1997.
Location: Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam Geographic coordinates: 18 00 N, 105 00 E Map references: Southeast Asia Area:
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Utah Land boundaries:
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April) Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus Elevation extremes:
Natural resources: timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones Land use:
Irrigated land:
1,250 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: floods, droughts, and blight Environment - current issues: unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; a majority of the population does not have access to potable water Environment - international agreements:
Geography - note: landlocked
Population: 5,497,459 (July 2000 est.) Age structure:
Population growth rate: 2.5% (2000 est.) Birth rate: 38.29 births/1,000 population (2000 est.) Death rate: 13.35 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.) Sex ratio:
Infant mortality rate: 94.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.) Life expectancy at birth:
Total fertility rate: 5.21 children born/woman (2000 est.) Nationality:
Ethnic groups: Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong ("Meo") and the Yao (Mien) 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1% Religions: Buddhist 60% (in October 1999, the regime proposed a constitutional amendment making Buddhism the state religion; the National Assembly is expected to vote on the amendment sometime in 2000), animist and other 40% Languages: Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages Literacy:
Country name:
Data code: LA Government type: Communist state Capital: Vientiane Administrative divisions: 16 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural), 1 municipality* (kampheng nakhon, singular and plural), and 1 special zone** (khetphiset, singular and plural); Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamxai, Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louangnamtha, Louangphabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan*, Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xaisomboun**, Xekong, Xiangkhoang Independence: 19 July 1949 (from France) National holiday: National Day, 2 December (1975) (proclamation of the Lao People's Democratic Republic) Constitution: promulgated 14 August 1991 Legal system: based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and Socialist practice Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch:
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (99 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; note - by presidential decree, on 27 October 1997, the number of seats increased from 85 to 99)
Judicial branch: People's Supreme Court, the president of the People's Supreme Court is elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the National Assembly Standing Committee, the vice president of the People's Supreme Court and the judges are appointed by the National Assembly Standing Committee Political parties and leaders: Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [KHAMTAI Siphandon, party president]; other parties proscribed Political pressure groups and leaders: noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975 International organization participation: ACCT, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US:
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Flag description: three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band
Economy - overview: The government of Laos - one of the few remaining official communist states - began decentralizing control and encouraging private enterprise in 1986. The results, starting from an extremely low base, were striking - growth averaged 7% in 1988-96. Since mid-1996, however, reform efforts have slowed, and the economy has suffered as a result. Because Laos depends heavily on its trade with Thailand, it was further damaged by the regional financial crisis beginning in 1997. From June 1997 to June 1999 the Lao kip lost 87%, and reached a crisis point in September 1999 when it fluctuated wildly, falling from 3,500 kip to the dollar to 9,000 kip to the dollar in a matter of weeks. Now that the currency has stabilized, however, the government seems content to let the current situation persist, despite 140% inflation in 1999 and limited foreign exchange reserves. A landlocked country with a primitive infrastructure, Laos has no railroads, a rudimentary road system, and limited external and internal telecommunications. Electricity is available in only a few urban areas. Subsistence agriculture accounts for half of GDP and provides 80% of total employment. For the foreseeable future the economy will continue to depend on aid from the IMF and other international sources; Japan is currently the largest bilateral aid donor; aid from the former USSR/Eastern Europe has been cut sharply. As in many developing countries, deforestation and soil erosion will hamper efforts to attain a high rate of GDP growth. GDP: purchasing power parity - $7 billion (1999 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5.2% (1999 est.) GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,300 (1999 est.) GDP - composition by sector:
Population below poverty line: 46.1% (1993 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 140% (1999 est.) Labor force: 1 million - 1.5 million Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 80% (1997 est.) Unemployment rate: 5.7% (1997 est.) Budget:
Industries: tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments Industrial production growth rate: 7.5% (1999 est.) Electricity - production: 1.34 billion kWh (1998) Electricity - production by source:
Electricity - consumption: 514 million kWh (1998) Electricity - exports: 782 million kWh (1998) Electricity - imports: 50 million kWh (1998) Agriculture - products: sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton; tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry Exports: $271 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.) Exports - commodities: wood products, garments, electricity, coffee, tin Exports - partners: Vietnam, Thailand, Germany, France, Belgium Imports: $497 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel Imports - partners: Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, China, Singapore, Hong Kong Debt - external: $2.32 billion (1997 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $345 million (1999 est.) Currency: 1 new kip (NK) = 100 at Exchange rates:
new kips (NK) per US$1 - 7,674.00 (January 2000),7,102.03 (1999), 3,298.33 (1998), 1,259.98 (1997), 921.02 (1996), 804.69 (1995)
Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September
Telephones - main lines in use: 20,000 (1995) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,600 (1997) Telephone system:
service to general public is poor but improving, with over 20,000 telephones currently in service and an additional 48,000 expected by 2001; the government relies on a radiotelephone network to communicate with remote areas
Radio broadcast stations: AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998) Radios: 730,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 4 (1999) Televisions: 52,000 (1997) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
Railways: 0 km Highways:
Waterways: about 4,587 km, primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional km are sectionally navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m Pipelines: petroleum products 136 km Ports and harbors: none Merchant marine:
Airports: 52 (1999 est.) Airports - with paved runways:
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Military branches: Lao People's Army (LPA; includes militia element), Lao People's Navy (LPN; includes riverine element), Air Force, National Police Department Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age Military manpower - availability:
Military manpower - fit for military service:
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $77 million (FY96/97) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4.2% (FY96/97)
Disputes - international: parts of the border with Thailand are indefinite Illicit drugs: world's third-largest illicit opium producer (estimated cultivation in 1999 - 21,800 hectares, a 16% decrease over 1998; estimated potential production in 1999 - 140 metric tons, about the same as in 1998); potential heroin producer; transshipment point for heroin and methamphetamines produced in Burma; illicit producer of cannabis Please click here for a guide to the country profiles Click here for all other countries
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