About LAO PDR
Today, Lao PDR ranks 135th among the poorest countries in the world by the UNDPs Human Development Index. This means that Laos still needs help in many areas of social and economic development.
Laos is located in Southeast Asia, bordered on the north by China, the east by Vietnam, the south by Thailand and the west by Burma. It has one of the lowest population densities in Asia of 23 persons per square kilometers and roughly 85% of the population lives in rural areas. Currently there is a population of about 5.7 million and a growth rate of 2.8% per year. The Lao population has more than 40 distinct ethnic groups though they are often classified into three main groups: the Lao Loum (lowland), 68%, the Lao Theung (up land), 22%, the Hmong and the Yao (high mountains), 9%. Other ethnic groups, such as the Vietnamese and Chinese, account for about 1%. The major cities are the capital of Vientiane, Savannakhet, Pakse and Luang Prabang.
The official language of the Lao PDR is Lao, while at the same time other languages such as French, English, and various ethnic languages have also been widely used. The literacy rate in Laos is still considered low, about 66% of the total population, with 77.4% males and only 55.5% females (2002) literate. Laos’ education system is still considered weak. This is reflected in Laos’s lack of skilled human resources, technology, and funds to provide sufficient education to meet the demands of its people. As a result, the government of Laos has begun to put a great deal of emphasis on promoting education among girls and women in rural areas.
Agriculture, the major subsistence of Laos, accounts about 80% of employment. However, poor infrastructure is one of the barriers that hinders economic development in Laos. Laos’ major exports are: Electricity, clothing, wood, forest product and gypsum. In February 2005, Laos gained NTR status with the US, which will allow Lao producers lower tariffs on their exports to the world’s larger market. This should help spur the economy of Laos in the near future.
Laos is one the countries that has been severely effected by war. During the 1960s and early 1970s the US dropped more about 80 million cluster bombs on Laos (link to US Legacy of war project), which resulted in the devastation of property and people of Laos. Today, Laos still has millions of unexploded ordinances (UXO), which has killed more than 10,000 people since the end of the war. Rural populations face the threat of UXO every day by engaging in income generating activities such as plowing, tending to animals or construction. Many children are also killed as the result of lack of education about the dangers of the unexploded bomblets.
Even with these challenges, Laos expects to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the year 2015. Many larger infrastructure projects are underway such as the Nam Theun II dam in which Laos is expected to earn about 2 billions US dollars a year selling electricity to its neighbors. The enactment NTR by the US government, and the support of organizations, international organizations, NGOs, individuals, the government, and the people of Lao PDR, will bring together the commitment and collaboration of the many people to help bring Laos out of the poverty in a timely manner.
