Ethnic Composition
| Lao Loum |
68% |
| Lao Theung |
22% |
| Lao Soung, Hmong, Yao |
9% |
| Vietnamese/Chinese |
1% |
Religious Composition
| Buddhist |
60% |
| Animist |
40% |
| Various Christian denominations |
1.5% |
|
NationalityLao(s) or Laotian(s) |
Languages SpokenLao (official), French, English, and various ethnic
languages. |
Education and LiteracySixty percent of the population over the age of 15 can read. By
gender, 70 percent of the male population, and 48 percent of
the female population are literate. |
Labor ForceTotal:
2.4 million (1999)
By occupation:
|
Geography |
Land Mass Total91,428 sq mi (236,800 sq km) |
Land89,112 sq mi (230,800 sq km) |
Water2,316 sq mi (6,000 sq km) |
Land BoundariesTotal:
3,158 mi (5,083 km)
Border countries: Burma 146 mi (235 km), Cambodia 336 mi
(541 km), China 262 mi (423 km), Thailand 1,089 mi (1,754 km),
Vietnam 1,323 mi (2,130 km) |
CoastlineLandlocked |
Maritime claimNone |
Climate/WeatherTropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season
(December to April). |
TerrainMostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus. |
Elevation extremesLowest:
Mekong River 229 ft (70 m)
Highest:
Phou Bia 9,242 ft (2,817 m) |
Natural ResourcesTimber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones. |
Land use
| Arable land |
4% |
| Permanent crops |
0% |
| Other |
96% |
(1998) |
Natural hazardsFloods, droughts, and blight. |
Environment - current issuesUnexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; a majority of
the population does not have access to potable water. |
Geography NoteLandlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly
forested; the Mekong forms a large part of the western boundary
with Thailand. |
Demographics |
Population5,777,180 (July 2002) |
Age structure
| 0-14 years: |
42.5% |
Male: 1,233,659 |
Female: 1,219,872 |
| 15-64 years: |
54.2% |
Male: 1,543,246 |
Female: 1,591,419 |
| 65 years and over: |
3.3% |
Male: 86,375 |
Female: 102,609 |
(2002) |
Growth Rate2.47% (2002) |
Life Expectancy53.88 years (2002)
Female: 55.87 years
Male: 51.95 years |
GDP Per CapitaPurchasing power parity
US$1,630 (2001) |
Infant Mortality90.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2002) |
Sex ratio
| At birth: |
1.03 male(s)/female |
| Under 15 years: |
1.01 male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years: |
0.97 male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over: |
0.84 male(s)/female |
| Total population: |
0.98 male(s)/female |
(2002) |
Net migration rate0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002) |
Economy & Trade |
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 percent in 1988-2001 except during the
short-lived drop caused by the Asian financial crisis beginning
in 1997. Despite this high growth rate, Laos remains a country
with a primitive infrastructure; it 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 percent of total employment. The economy
will continue to benefit from aid from the IMF and other
international sources and from new foreign investment in food
processing and mining. GDP growth in 2002 reached 5.8
percent, while inflation dropped from 7.8 percent in
2001 to 6.5 percent for the year-on-year. GDP is
predicted to rise to 6.1 percent in 2003. The opening of
the US$30 million Nam Theun 2 hydropower project will give a
boost to the groaning infrastructure of Laos and allow it to
sell power to its neighbors. Tourism will continue to play a
vital role in the economy for GDP growth, hard currency
reserves acquisition, and controlling the balance of payments
account. |
Unemployment5.7% (1997) |
Inflation Rate10% (2001) |
IndustriesTin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural
processing, construction, garments. |
ExportsUS$325 million (2001) |
ImportsUS$540 million (f.o.b., 2000) |
Total TradePurchasing power parity
GDP US$9.2 billion (2001) |
Top Export PartnersThailand 20%, France 7.5%, Germany 5.9%, UK 4.1%, Belgium 4% (2000) |
Top Import PartnersThailand 52%, Singapore 3.9%, Japan 1.6%, Hong Kong 1.5%, China
0.8% (2000) |
Top ExportsWood products, garments, electricity, coffee, tin. |
Top ImportsMachinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel. |
Debt - externalUS$2.53 billion (1999) |
Economic aidUS$345 million (1999) |
Fiscal Year:October 1 to September 30 |
Business Workweek
|
| |
Monday - Friday |
Saturday -
Sunday |
| Offices |
8a.m to 4p.m. |
Closed |
| Retail |
8a.m. to 6p.m.
In this country the number of daylight hours dictates
the length of the business day. |
Saturday 8a.m. to 6p.m. |
| Banks |
8a.m. to 12p.m. and 1:30p.m. to 5:30p.m. |
Closed |
| Government |
8a.m to 4p.m. |
Closed |
|
Holidays |
Official Holidays
| Holidays |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
| New Year's Day |
January 1 |
January 1 |
January 1 |
| Pathet Lao Day |
January 6 |
January 6 |
January 6 |
| Army Day |
January 20 |
January 20 |
January 20 |
| Chinese New Year¹ |
February 1 |
January 22 |
February 9 |
| Women's Day |
March 8 |
March 8 |
March 8 |
| Day of the People's Party |
March 22 |
March 22 |
March 22 |
| Boun Pimai, Laotian New Year |
April 13 to 15 |
April 13 to 15 |
April 13 to 15 |
| Labor Day |
May 1 |
May 1 |
May 1 |
| Children's Day |
June 1 |
June 1 |
June 1 |
| Lao Issara, Day of Free Laos |
August 13 |
August 13 |
August 13 |
| Liberation Day (from French) |
October 12 |
October 12 |
October 12 |
| Independence Day |
December 2 |
December 2 |
December 2 |
| ¹ |
Celebrations denoting the beginning of
the New Year based on the exact astronomical observations
of the longitude of the sun and phases of the moon
according the the Chinese calendar. Holidays can
last up to five days. |
|
