Author : Bounthong Bouahom; Dethsackda Manikham

Summary : Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) is a small agricultural and mountainous country, which borders relatively larger rice-exporting countries like Myanmar, Cambodia, China, Thailand, and Vietnam. The country has been transitioning from a land-locked to a land-linked country, with about 6.3 million people living in its 18 provinces, mostly in rural areas (about 67%). Urbanization, however, is occurring at a rate of 4.9 percent annually. The country is known for its rich biodiversity, and its most fertile land is found along the Mekong plains. The Mekong river flows from north to south, forming the border with Thailand for more than 60 percent of its length.

Despite its status as a least developed country, (LDC), Lao PDR has made significant progress in poverty alleviation, with poverty rates declining from 46 percent in 1992 to 23.4 in 2012. According to the 2010 UNDP Human Development Report, the country is one of the 10 “top movers” in the world in terms of progress on human development in the last two decades. As of 2018, Lao PDR ranks 139th out of 189 countries in terms of human development.