Laos

Communist stateIndependence 19 July 1949 (from France)

Laos as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 119 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

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CapitalVientiane
LocationSoutheastern Asia, between Vietnam and Thailand
1994

Every edition of Laos

Populationas each edition published it
4.7 million July 1994 est. · 4.02m in 1990
Population growth% a year
2.85% 1994 est. · 2.86% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 18.5 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 51.18 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
6.07 children per woman 1994 est. · 5.1 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
101.8 deaths per 1,000 live births 1994 est. · 126 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$900 1993 est. · $200 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
7% 1992 est. · 4% in 1993

Geography

Southeastern Asia, between Vietnam and Thailand

22 fields
Coastline
0km
(landlocked)Maritime claims: none; landlocked
Land boundaries
5,083km
total · Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km, Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km
Irrigated land
1,200sq km
(1989 est.)

Location

Southeastern Asia, between Vietnam and Thailand

Map references

Southeast Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World

total area

236,800 sq km

land area

230,800 sq km

comparative area

slightly larger than Utah

International disputes

boundary dispute with Thailand

Climate

  • tropical monsoon;
  • rainy season (May to November);
  • dry season (December to April)

Terrain

mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus

Natural resources

timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones

arable land

4%

permanent crops

0%

meadows and pastures

3%

forest and woodland

58%

other

35%

current issues

deforestation; soil erosion

natural hazards

subject to floods, drought, and blight

international agreements

party to - Environmental Modification, Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea

Note

landlocked

People

21 fields
Population
4,701,654
(July 1994 est.)growth rate: 2.85% (1994 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1994 est.)

Birth
43.23Death
14.74Net migration
0
Literacy
15
age · -45 can read and write (1993)

Infant mortality rate

101.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

total population

51.68 years

male

50.16 years

female

53.28 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate

6.07 children born/woman (1994 est.)

noun

Lao(s) or Laotian(s)

adjective

Lao or Laotian

Ethnic divisions

Lao 50%, Phoutheung (Kha) 15%, tribal Thai 20%, Meo, Hmong, Yao, and other 15%

Religions

Buddhist 85%, animist and other 15%

Languages

Lao (official), French, English

total population

64%

male

NA%

female

NA%

Labor force

1-1.5 million

by occupation

agriculture 85-90% (est.)

Government

Communist state

32 fields

conventional long form

Lao People's Democratic Republic

conventional short form

Laos

local long form

Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao

local short form

none

Type

Communist state

Capital

Vientiane

Administrative divisions

  • 16 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural) and 1 municipality* (kampheng nakhon, singular and plural);
  • Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamsai, Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louang Namtha, Louangphrabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Saravan, Savannakhet, Xekong, Vientiane, Viangchan*, Xaignabouri, 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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

chief of state

President NOUHAK PHOUMSAVAN (since 25 November 1992)

head of government

Prime Minister Gen. KHAMTAI SIPHANDON (since 15 August 1991)

cabinet

Council of Ministers; appointed by the president, approved by the Assembly

Third National Assembly

  • elections last held on 20 December 1992 (next to be held NA);
  • results - percent of vote by party NA;
  • seats - (85 total) number of seats by party NA

Judicial branch

Supreme People's Court

Political parties and leaders

  • Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP), KHAMTAI Siphandon, party president;
  • includes Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC);
  • other parties moribund

Other political or pressure groups

non-Communist political groups moribund; most leaders fled the country in 1975

Member of

ACCT, AsDB, ASEAN (observer), CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

chief of mission

Ambassador HIEM PHOMMACHANH

chancery

2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone

(202) 332-6416 or 6417

FAX

(202) 332-4923

chief of mission

Ambassador Victor TOMSETH

embassy

Rue Bartholonie, Vientiane

mailing address

B. P. 114, Vientiane, or American Embassy, Box V, APO AP 96546

telephone

[851] 2220, 2357, or 3570, 16-9581

FAX

[851] 4675

Flag

three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band

Economy

Laos has had a Communist centrally planned economy with government | ownership and control of major productive enterprises.

26 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$900
(1993 est.)
Real growth rate
7%
(1992 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 12% (1991 est.); accounts for about 18% of GDP (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate
21%
(1989 est.)

Overview

Laos has had a Communist centrally planned economy with government ownership and control of major productive enterprises. Since 1986, however, the government has been decentralizing control and encouraging private enterprise. Laos is a landlocked country with a primitive infrastructure;

it has no railroads, a rudimentary road system, limited external and internal telecommunications, and electricity available in only a limited area. Subsistence agriculture is the main occupation, accounting for over 60% of GDP and providing about 85-90% of total employment. The predominant crop is rice.

For the foreseeable future the economy will continue to depend for its survival on foreign aid from the IMF and other international sources; aid from the former USSR and Eastern Europe has been cut sharply.

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $4.1 billion (1993 est.)

revenues

$83 million

expenditures

$188.5 million, including capital expenditures of $94 million (1990 est.)

Exports

$133 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.)

commodities

electricity, wood products, coffee, tin

partners

Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, FSU, US, China

Imports

$266 million (c.i.f., 1992 est.)

commodities

food, fuel oil, consumer goods, manufactures

partners

Thailand, FSU, Japan, France, Vietnam, China

External debt

$1.1 billion (1990 est.)

capacity

226,000 kW

production

990 million kWh

consumption per capita

220 kWh (1992)

Industries

tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction

Agriculture

  • accounts for 60% of GDP and employs most of the work force;
  • subsistence farming predominates;
  • normally self-sufficient in nondrought years;
  • principal crops - rice (80% of cultivated land), sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, cotton;
  • livestock - buffaloes, hogs, cattle, poultry

Illicit drugs

illicit producer of cannabis, opium poppy for the international drug trade, third-largest opium producer (180 metric tons in 1993)

recipient

  • US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-79), $276 million;
  • Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $605 million;
  • Communist countries (1970-89), $995 million

Currency

1 new kip (NK) = 100 at

Exchange rates

new kips (NK) per US$1 - 720 (July 1993). 710 (May 1992), 710 (December 1991), 700 (September 1990), 576 (1989)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

Communications

15 fields

total

27,527 km

paved

bituminous 1,856 km

unpaved

gravel, crushed stone, improved earth 7,451 km; unimproved earth 18,220 km (often impassable during rainy season mid-May to mid-September)

Inland waterways

about 4,587 km, primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional kilometers are sectionally navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m

Pipelines

petroleum products 136 km

Ports

none

Merchant marine

1 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,370 GRT/3,000 DWT

total

53

usable

41

with permanent-surface runways

8

with runways over 3,659 m

0

with runways 2,440-3,659 m

1

with runways 1,220-2,439 m

15

Telecommunications

  • service to general public practically non-existant;
  • radio communications network provides generally erratic service to government users;
  • 7,390 telephones (1986);
  • broadcast stations - 10 AM, no FM, 1 TV;
  • 1 satellite earth station

Defense Forces

Lao People's Army (LPA; including naval, aviation, and militia | elements), Air Force, National Police Department

3 fields

Branches

Lao People's Army (LPA; including naval, aviation, and militia elements), Air Force, National Police Department

Manpower availability

  • males age 15-49 1,015,357;
  • fit for military service 547,566;
  • reach military age (18) annually 49,348 (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures

$NA, NA% of GDP

Central Intelligence Agency. “Laos.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/laos/1994.

How to cite ← 1993 edition 1995 edition →