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| Introduction | Laos |
| Background: | Laos was under the control 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. Initial closer ties to Vietnam and socialization were replaced with a gradual return to private enterprise, a liberalization of foreign investment laws, and the admission into ASEAN in 1997. |
| People | Laos |
| Population: | 6,068,117 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 41.9% (male 1,277,152; female 1,265,761) 15-64 years: 54.9% (male 1,642,895; female 1,688,175) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 87,995; female 106,139) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 18.6 years male: 18.3 years female: 19 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 2.44% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 36.47 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 12.1 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 87.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 76.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 97.05 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 54.69 years male: 52.71 years female: 56.75 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 4.86 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.1% (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 1,700 (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | less than 200 (2003 est.) |
| Major infectious diseases: | typhoid fever, dengue fever, malaria, Japanese encephalitis overall degree of risk: very high (2004) |
| Nationality: | noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s) adjective: Lao or Laotian |
| Ethnic groups: | Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong and the Yao 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1% |
| Religions: | Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%) |
| Languages: | Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 66.4% male: 77.4% female: 55.5% (2002) |
| Government | Laos |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic conventional short form: Laos local short form: none local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao |
| 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, Louangphrabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan*, Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xaisomboun**, Xekong, Xiangkhoang |
| Independence: | 19 July 1949 (from France) |
| National holiday: | Republic Day, 2 December (1975) |
| 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: | chief of state: President Gen. KHAMTAI Siphadon (since 26 February 1998) and Vice President Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALI Saignason (since 27 March 2001) head of government: Prime Minister BOUNGNANG Volachit (since 27 March 2001); First Deputy Prime Minister Maj. Gen. ASANG Laoli (since May 2002), Deputy Prime Minister THONGLOUN Sisolit (since 27 March 2001), and Deputy Prime Minister SOMSAVAT Lengsavat (since 26 February 1998) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the National Assembly elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 24 February 2002 (next to be held in 2007); prime minister appointed by the president with the approval of the National Assembly for a five-year term election results: KHAMTAI Siphandon elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - NA% |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral National Assembly (109 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; note - total number of seats increased from 99 to 109 for the 2002 election) elections: last held 24 February 2002 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LPRP or LPRP-approved (independent, non-party members) 109 |
| 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, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador PHANTHONG Phommahaxay FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923 telephone: [1] (202) 332-6416 chancery: 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia M. HASLACH embassy: 19 Rue Bartholonie, B. P. 114, Vientiane mailing address: American Embassy, Box V, APO AP 96546 telephone: [856] (21) 212581, 212582, 212585 FAX: [856] (21) 212584 |
| Flag description: | three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band |
| Communications | Laos |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 61,900 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 55,200 (2002) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: 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 domestic: radiotelephone communications international: country code - 856; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998) |
| Radios: | 730,000 (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 4 (1999) |
| Televisions: | 52,000 (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .la |
| Internet hosts: | 937 (2003) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 1 (2000) |
| Internet users: | 15,000 (2002) |
| Transportation | Laos |
| Highways: | total: 21,716 km paved: 9,664 km unpaved: 12,052 km (1999 est.) |
| Waterways: | 4,600 km note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m (2003) |
| Pipelines: | refined products 540 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: | none |
| Merchant marine: | total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2003 est.) |
| Airports: | 46 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 35 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.) |
| Military | Laos |
| Military branches: | Lao People's Army (LPA; including Riverine Force), Air Force |
| Military manpower - military age and obligation: | 15 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - minimum 18 months (2004) |
| Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 1,456,500 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 783,800 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 68,563 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $10.9 million (2003) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 0.5% (2003) |
| Transnational Issues | Laos |
| Disputes - international: | demarcation of boundaries with Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam is largely complete, but with Thailand several areas including Mekong River islets remain in dispute; ongoing disputes with Thailand and Vietnam over squatters |
| Illicit drugs: | world's third-largest illicit opium producer (estimated cultivation in 2003 - 18,900 hectares, a 19% decrease over 2002; estimated potential production in 2003 - 200 metric tons, a 11% increase from 2002); potential heroin producer; transshipment point for heroin and methamphetamine produced in Burma; illicit producer of cannabis; growing methamphetamine abuse problem |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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