Laos

Location

• Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
• landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested; the Mekong River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Vientiane	196,731	Capital
Savannakhet	125,760
Pakse	88,332
Thakhèk	85,000
Ban Napè	63,268
Luang Prabang	47,378
Xam Nua	46,800
Muang Phônsavan	37,507
Sekong	35,000
Ban Xénô	25,135

Size

• 91,428 square miles
• 236,800 square kilometers
• about twice the size of Pennsylvania; slightly larger than Utah

History

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. Following more than 15 years of civil war, the communist Pathet Lao took control of the government in 1975, ending a six-century-old monarchy and instituting a one party--the Lao People's Revolutionary Party--communist state. A gradual, limited return to private enterprise and the liberalization of foreign investment laws began in the late 1980s. Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997 and the WTO in 2013.In the 2010s, the country benefited from direct foreign investment, particularly in the natural resource and industry sectors. Construction of a number of large hydropower dams and expanding mining activities have also boosted the economy. Laos has retained its official commitment to communism and maintains close ties with its two communist neighbors, Vietnam and China, both of which continue to exert substantial political and economic influence on the country. China, for example, provided 70% of the funding for a $5.9 billion, 400-km railway line between the Chinese border and the capital Vientiane, which opened for operations in 2021. Laos financed the remaining 30% with loans from China. At the same time, Laos has expanded its economic reliance on the West and other Asian countries, such as Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. Nevertheless, despite steady economic growth for more than a decade, it remains one of Asia's poorest countries.

Climate

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

Terrain

mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus

Languages

Lao (official), French, English, various ethnic languagesmajor-language sample(s): ແຫລ່ງທີ່ຂາດບໍ່ໄດ້ສຳລັບຂໍ້ມູນຕົ້ນຕໍ່” (Lao)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Buddhist 64.7%, Christian 1.7%, none 31.4%, other/not stated 2.1% (2015 est.)

Government

communist party-led state

• Constitution: history: previous 1947 (pre-independence); latest promulgated 13-15 August 1991amendment process: proposed by the National Assembly; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly membership and promulgation by the president of the republic
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: civil law system similar in form to the French system
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President THONGLOUN Sisoulith (since 22 March 2021)head of government: Prime Minister SONEXAY (also spelled SONXAI) Siphandon (since 30 December 2022)cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and approved by the National Assemblyelection/appointment process: president and vice president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (no term limits); prime minister nominated by the president, elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year termmost recent election date: 22 March 2021election results: 2021: THONGLOUN Sisoulith (LPRP) elected president; National Assembly vote - 161-1; PHANKHAM Viphavanh (LPRP) elected prime minister; National Assembly vote - 158-32016: BOUNNHANG Vorachit (LPRP) elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - NA; THONGLOUN Sisoulith (LPRP) elected prime minister; percent of National Assembly vote - NAexpected date of next election: March 2026
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): People's Supreme Court (consists of the court president and organized into criminal, civil, administrative, commercial, family, and juvenile chambers, each with a vice president and several judges)judge selection and term of office: president of People's Supreme Court appointed by the National Assembly upon the recommendation of the president of the republic for a 5-year term; vice presidents of the People's Supreme Court appointed by the president of the republic upon the recommendation of the National Assembly; appointment of chamber judges NA; tenure of court vice presidents and chamber judges NAsubordinate courts: appellate courts; provincial, municipal, district, and military courts
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: National Assembly (Sapha Heng Xat)legislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 164 (all directly elected)electoral system: plurality/majorityscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 5 yearsmost recent election date: 2/21/2021parties elected and seats per party: Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) (158); Other (6)percentage of women in chamber: 22%expected date of next election: February 2026

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• lower middle-income, socialist Southeast Asian economy; one of the fastest growing economies; declining but still high poverty; natural resource rich; new anticorruption efforts; already high and growing public debt; service sector hit hard by COVID-19
• Budget: revenues: $2.288 billion (2022 est.)expenditures: $2.259 billion (2022 est.)note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
• Industries: mining (copper, tin, gold, gypsum); timber, electric power, agricultural processing, rubber, construction, garments, cement, tourism
• Agricultural Products: cassava, root vegetables, rice, sugarcane, vegetables, bananas, maize, rubber, coffee, watermelons (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 9.8% (2022 est.)arable land: 5.3% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 1.5% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 2.9% (2022 est.)forest: 71.6% (2022 est.)other: 18.6% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: refined petroleum, cars, raw sugar, plastic products, trucks (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: Thailand 58%, China 36%, Japan 1%, Singapore 1%, Germany 1% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: electricity, fertilizers, gold, garments, paper (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: China 39%, Thailand 34%, Australia 4%, USA 4%, Cambodia 2% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports