Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) is endowed with abundant natural resources, such as water, forests, minerals, and biodiversity. This document aims to succinctly summarize the climate risks faced by Lao PDR. This includes rapid onset and long-term changes in key climate parameters, as well...

Successive national socio-economic development plans have identified the private sector as the main engine of growth and the government of Lao PDR (GoL) is committed to fostering a transition to a private-sector-led market economy. In line with that approach, the GoL has pursued an increased...

In 2015, Lao PDR is virtually unrecognizable from what it was just a decade ago. A more open, more outward trade landscape has transformed the country from a closed-off backwater into a fast-growing developing country, complete with coffee shops, restaurants, and billboards lining the streets of...

Rice is an important agricultural product and food staple in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), especially for its three low-income members - Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Myanmar. These countries are net exporters of rice, similar to their more advanced neighbors, Thailand and Vietnam, but their rice...

While on-track for child health and maternal health MDGs, Lao PDR continues to have some of the worst maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes, both globally and in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) region. Under-five and infant mortality rates are high relative to GDP per capita, and utilization...

Lao PDR has made notable progress in improving maternal health, with materanal mortality decreasing from 1,600 per 100,000 births in 1990 to 220 in 2013.1 However, in order for further gains to be realized, at least two barriers need to be addressed - the low utilization of maternal health (MH)...

This policy note provides an overview of government health financing in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR), with an added focus on health center financing. The note summarizes overall trends in health outcomes and government health financing over 2000-2014 and analyzes trends in planned...

Under nutrition levels in Lao PDR remain among the highest in the world, despite both rapid economic growth and a significant decline in poverty over the past years. Concerns about the slow progress in reducing under nutrition have triggered intense policy discussion and several analytical...

The Lao PDR Economic Monitor provides updates on macroeconomic developments and sectoral issues in the country. It is produced bi-annually and distributed widely to the government agencies, development partners, the private sector, think tanks, civil society organizations, and academia....

Lao PDR's GDP growth slightly decelerated to 6.9 percent in 2017, but remained robust. The economy is expected to further ease to 6.7 percent in 2018. Recent expansion of labor-intensive industries (agriculture, manufacturing and services) and robust remittances inflows are expected to continue...