Officially referred to as the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the state is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia. Laos shares borders with Burma, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. With a population of 6.5 million in 2012, around one-third of the population lives below the international poverty line of US$1.25 per day. Laos is a single-party socialist republic, which seems to be heavily under the influence of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Vietnam People’s Army. The official language is Lao, although the Lao ethnic group only makes-up approximately 60% of the population. Laos declared independence from French colonialism on October 22nd, 1953.

General Information
Official Name: 
Lao People's Democratic Republic, ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ (Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao)
Capitol: 
Vientiane
Population: 
6,500,000
Languages: 
Lao, Thai, Hmong, Khmu
Geographic Region: 
Asia
South-Eastern Asia
Geographic Size (km sq): 
236,800
Year of UN Membership: 
1955
Year of Present State Formation: 
1975
Online Profiles
Key Statistics & Indicators
Gross Domestic Product (GDP, Nominal): 
$11.140 Billion
Per Capita Income (PPP Adjusted): 
$1,646 (CID)
GDP Growth: 
8.30 (%)
Human Development Index (HDI): 
0.57
Gini Index (Income Inequality): 
36.70
Unemployment: 
1.40%
Economic Grouping: 
Developing Country
Landlocked Developing Country
Least Developed Country
History
International Relations
UN Voting Blocs & Caucuses: 
Group of 77 (G-77)
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)
Asian Group
Major International & Regional Organizations: 
ADB: Asian Development Bank
ARF: ASEAN Regional Forum
ASEAN: Association of Southeast Asian Nations
CP: Colombo Plan
EAS: East Asia Summit
ICRM: International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
IFRCS: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Interpol: International Criminal Police Organization
IOC: International Olympic Committee
IPU: Inter-Parliamentary Union
ISO: International Organization for Standardization
OIF: Organisation internationale de la Francophonie
PCA: Permanent Court of Arbitration
WCO: World Customs Organization
WFTU: World Federation of Trade Unions
UN Specialized Agencies & Organizations: 
CTBTO: Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization
FAO: Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN
IAEA: International Atomic Energy Agency
IBRD: International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
ICAO: International Civil Aviation Organization
IDA: International Development Association
IFAD: International Fund for Agricultural Development
IFC: International Finance Corporation
ILO: International Labor Organization
IMF: International Monetary Fund
ITU: International Telecommunications Union
MIGA: Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
OPCW: Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
UNIDO: United Nations Industrial Development Organization
UNWTO: United Nations World Tourism Organization
UPU: Universal Postal Union
WBG: World Bank Group
WHO: World Health Organization
WIPO: World Intellectual Property Organization
WMO: World Meteorological Organization
WTO: World Trade Organization
Bilateral Relations
United Nations Data
Government Sources
UN Mission
317 East 51st Street
New York, NY 10022
(212) 832-2734/0095
(212) 750-0039
lao@un.int

View Another Country