Modern-day Laos has its roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, established in the 14th century under King FA NGUM. For 300 years Lan Xang had influence reaching into present-day Cambodia and Thailand, as well as over all of what is now Laos. After centuries of gradual decline, Laos came under the domination of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. In 1975, the communist Pathet Lao took control of the government ending a six-century-old monarchy and instituting a strict socialist regime closely aligned to Vietnam. A gradual, limited return to private enterprise and the liberalization of foreign investment laws began in 1988. Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997 and the WTO in 2013.

Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam

18 00 N, 105 00 E

Southeast Asia

total: 236,800 sq km
country comparison to the world: 84
land: 230,800 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km

slightly larger than Utah

total: 5,083 km
border countries: Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km, Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km

0 km (landlocked)

none (landlocked)

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

mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus

lowest point: Mekong River 70 m
highest point: Phu Bia 2,817 m

timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones

arable land: 5.91%
permanent crops: 0.42%
other: 93.67% (2011)

3,100 sq km (2005)

333.5 cu km (2011)

total: 3.49 cu km/yr (4%/5%/91%)
per capita: 588.9 cu m/yr (2005)

floods, droughts

unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested; the Mekong River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand

noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)
adjective: Lao or Laotian

Lao 55%, Khmou 11%, Hmong 8%, other (over 100 minor ethnic groups) 26% (2005 census)

Lao (official), French, English, various ethnic languages

Buddhist 67%, Christian 1.5%, other and unspecified 31.5% (2005 census)

6,695,166 (July 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103

0-14 years: 35.5% (male 1,198,288/female 1,178,180)
15-24 years: 21.3% (male 706,679/female 716,368)
25-54 years: 34.6% (male 1,143,265/female 1,174,102)
55-64 years: 4.9% (male 160,650/female 166,605)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male 113,301/female 137,728) (2013 est.)

total dependency ratio: 63.8 %
youth dependency ratio: 57.6 %
elderly dependency ratio: 6.2 %
potential support ratio: 16.1 (2013)

total: 21.6 years
male: 21.4 years
female: 21.9 years (2013 est.)

1.63% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 75

25.23 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58

7.86 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108

-1.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 149

urban population: 34.3% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 4.41% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

VIENTIANE (capital) 799,000 (2009)

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

470 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 21

total: 56.13 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 34
male: 61.91 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 50.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)

total population: 63.14 years
country comparison to the world: 182
male: 61.2 years
female: 65.17 years (2013 est.)

2.98 children born/woman (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 60

38.4% (2005)

2.8% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 180

0.19 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

0.7 beds/1,000 population (2010)

0.2% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 102

8,500 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 106

fewer than 200 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101

degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2013)

2.6% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 179

31.6% (2006)
country comparison to the world: 13

3.3% of GDP (2010)
country comparison to the world: 135

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 72.7%
male: 82.5%
female: 63.2% (2005 est.)

total: 10 years
male: 11 years
female: 10 years (2011)

total number: 175,138
percentage: 11 % (2006 est.)

conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic
conventional short form: Laos
local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao
local short form: Pathet Lao (unofficial)

Communist state

name: Vientiane (Viangchan)
geographic coordinates: 17 58 N, 102 36 E
time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

16 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural) and 1 capital city* (nakhon luang, singular and plural); Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamxai, Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louangnamtha, Louangphabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan (Vientiane)*, Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xekong, Xiangkhouang

19 July 1949 (from France)

Republic Day, 2 December (1975)

previous 1947 (preindependence); latest promulgated 13-15 August 1991; amended 2003 (2003)

civil law system similar in form to the French system

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

18 years of age; universal

chief of state: President Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALI Saignason (since 8 June 2006); Vice President BOUN-GNANG Volachit (since 8 June 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister THONGSING Thammavong (since 24 December 2010); First Deputy Prime Minister Maj. Gen. ASANG Laoli (since May 2002), Deputy Prime Ministers Maj. Gen. DOUANGCHAI Phichit (since 8 June 2006), SOMSAVAT Lengsavat (since 26 February 1998), and THONGLOUN Sisoulit (since 27 March 2001)
cabinet: Ministers appointed by president, approved by National Assembly

elections: president and vice president elected by National Assembly for five-year terms; election last held on 30 April 2011 (next to be held in 2016); prime minister nominated by the president and elected by the National Assembly for five-year term
election results: CHOUMMALI Saignason elected president; BOUN-GNANG Volachit elected vice president; percent of National Assembly vote - NA; THONGSING Thammavong elected prime minister; percent of National Assembly vote - NA

unicameral National Assembly (132 seats; members elected by popular vote from a list of candidates selected by the Lao People's Revolutionary Party to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 30 April 2011 (next to be held in 2016)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LPRP 128, independents 4

highest court(s): People's Supreme Court (consists of NA judges)
judge selection and term of office: president of People's Supreme Court elected by National Assembly on recommendation of National Assembly Standing Committee; vice president of People's Supreme Court and judges appointed by National Assembly Standing Committee; term of office NA
subordinate courts: provincial, municipal, district, and military courts

Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [CHOUMMALI Saignason]; other parties proscribed

NA

ADB, ARF, ASEAN, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

chief of mission: Ambassador SENG Soukhathivong (since 4 June 2010)
chancery: 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-6416
FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923

chief of mission: Ambassador David A. CLUNE (since 16 September 2013)
embassy: 19 Rue Bartholonie, That Dam, Vientiane
mailing address: American Embassy Vientiane, APO AP 96546
telephone: [856] 21-26-7000
FAX: [856] 21-26-7190

three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band; the red bands recall the blood shed for liberation; the blue band represents the Mekong River and prosperity; the white disk symbolizes the full moon against the Mekong River, but also signifies the unity of the people under the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, as well as the country's bright future

elephant

name: "Pheng Xat Lao" (Hymn of the Lao People)
lyrics/music: SISANA Sisane/THONGDY Sounthonevichit
note: music adopted 1945, lyrics adopted 1975; the anthem's lyrics were changed following the 1975 Communist revolution that overthrew the monarchy

The government of Laos, one of the few remaining one-party communist states, began decentralizing control and encouraging private enterprise in 1986. The results, starting from an extremely low base, were striking - growth averaged 6% per year from 1988-2008 except during the short-lived drop caused by the Asian financial crisis that began in 1997. Laos' growth exceeded 7% per year during 2008-12. Despite this high growth rate, Laos remains a country with an underdeveloped infrastructure, particularly in rural areas. It has a basic, but improving, road system, and limited external and internal land-line telecommunications. Electricity is available 75% of the country. Laos' economy is heavily dependent on capital-intensive natural resource exports. The labor force, however, still relies on agriculture, dominated by rice cultivation in lowland areas, which accounts for about 30% of GDP and 75% of total employment. Economic growth has reduced official poverty rates from 46% in 1992 to 26% in 2010. The economy also has benefited from high-profile foreign direct investment in hydropower, copper and gold mining, logging, and construction though some projects in these industries have drawn criticism for their environmental impacts. Laos gained Normal Trade Relations status with the US in 2004. On the fiscal side, Laos initiated a VAT tax system in 2010. Simplified investment procedures and expanded bank credits for small farmers and small entrepreneurs will improve Laos'' economic prospects. The government appears committed to raising the country''s profile among investors, opening the country''s first stock exchange in 2011 and participating in regional economic cooperation initiatives. Laos was admitted to the WTO in 2012. The World Bank has declared that Laos'' goal of graduating from the UN Development Program''s list of least-developed countries by 2020 is achievable.

$18.92 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 134
note: data are in 2012 US dollars

$9.047 billion (2012 est.)

7.9% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 22

$2,800 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177
note: data are in 2012 US dollars

26.2% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 42

household consumption: 69%
government consumption: 9.9%
investment in fixed capital: 29.6%
investment in inventories: -1.3%
exports of goods and services: 39.6%
imports of goods and services: -46.8%

agriculture: 26%
industry: 34%
services: 40% (2012 est.)

sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice; cassava (manioc), water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry

mining (copper, tin, gold, and gypsum); timber, electric power, agricultural processing, rubber, construction, garments, cement, tourism

11.4% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 11

3.308 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101

agriculture: 75.1%
industry and services: NA (2010 est.)

2.5% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 19

26% (2010 est.)

lowest 10%: 3.3%
highest 10%: 30.3% (2008)

36.7 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 81

revenues: $2.122 billion
expenditures: $2.25 billion (2012 est.)

23.5% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138

-1.4% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70

49.1% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67

1 October - 30 September

4.3% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 131

4.3% (31 December 2010)
country comparison to the world: 92

22.3% (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14

$1.154 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145

$3.556 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 137

$4.034 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 119

$-315.5 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 95

$1.984 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 140

wood products, coffee, electricity, tin, copper, gold, cassava

Thailand 34%, China 21.5%, Vietnam 12.2% (2012)

$2.744 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 149

machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods

Thailand 62.1%, China 16.2%, Vietnam 7.3% (2012)

$796.9 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 141

$6.288 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 111

kips (LAK) per US dollar -

3.629 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 127

2.355 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 137

2.02 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41

1 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 64

1.895 million kW (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 106

2.6% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 200

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 121

97.4% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 191

0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 183

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 141

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 206

0 bbl (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 150

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 193

3,391 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 189

3,160 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 171

0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 151

0 cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162

0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 131

0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 86

0 cu m (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 156

1.404 million Mt (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 159

112,000 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 143

6.492 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 99

general assessment: service to general public is improving; the government relies on a radiotelephone network to communicate with remote areas
domestic: 4 service providers with mobile cellular usage growing very rapidly
international: country code - 856; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) and a second to be developed by China (2012)

6 TV stations operating out of Vientiane - 3 government-operated and the others commercial; 17 provincial stations operating with nearly all programming relayed via satellite from the government-operated stations in Vientiane; Chinese and Vietnamese programming relayed via satellite from Lao National TV; broadcasts available from stations in Thailand and Vietnam in border areas; multi-channel satellite and cable TV systems provide access to a wide range of foreign stations; state-controlled radio with state-operated Lao National Radio (LNR) broadcasting on 5 frequencies - 1 AM, 1 SW, and 3 FM; LNR's AM and FM programs are relayed via satellite constituting a large part of the programming schedules of the provincial radio stations; Thai radio broadcasts available in border areas and transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are also accessible (2012)

.la

1,532 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 166

300,000 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 130

41 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 103

total: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2013)

total: 33
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m:

refined products 540 km (2013)

total: 39,568 km
country comparison to the world: 89
paved: 530 km
unpaved: 39,038 km (2007)

4,600 km (primarily on the Mekong River and its tributaries; 2,900 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m) (2012)
country comparison to the world: 24

Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF): Lao People's Army (LPA; includes Riverine Force), Air Force (2011)

18 years of age for compulsory or voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - minimum 18-months (2012)

males age 16-49: 1,574,362
females age 16-49: 1,607,856 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49: 1,111,629
females age 16-49: 1,190,035 (2010 est.)

male: 71,400
female: 73,038 (2010 est.)

NA% (2012)
country comparison to the world: 393

serving one of the world's least developed countries, the Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF) is small, poorly funded, and ineffectively resourced; its mission focus is border and internal security, primarily in countering ethnic Hmong insurgent groups; together with the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and the government, the Lao People's Army (LPA) is the third pillar of state machinery, and as such is expected to suppress political and civil unrest and similar national emergencies, but the LPA also has upgraded skills to respond to avian influenza outbreaks; there is no perceived external threat to the state and the LPA maintains strong ties with the neighboring Vietnamese military (2008)

southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; talks continue on completion of demarcation with Thailand but disputes remain over islands in the Mekong River; concern among Mekong River Commission members that China's construction of dams on the Mekong River and its tributaries will affect water levels; Cambodia and Vietnam are concerned about Laos' extensive upstream dam construction