processing, construction, garments, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
9.7% (2001 est.)

Electricity - production:
3.56 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 1.4%
hydro: 98.6%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
3.036 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
400 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
125 million kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
2,750 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Current account balance:
$-80.76 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$365.5 million (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin

Exports - partners:
Thailand 19.3%, Vietnam 13.4%, France 8%, Germany 5.3%, UK 5% (2004)

Imports:
$579.5 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods

Imports - partners:
Thailand 60.5%, China 10.3%, Vietnam 7.1%, Singapore 4% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$193.1 million (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$2.49 billion (2001)

Economic aid - recipient:
$243 million (2001 est.)

Currency (code):
kip (LAK)

Currency code:
LAK

Exchange rates:
kips per US dollar - 10,820 (2004), 10,569 (2003), 10,056.3 (2002),
8,954.6 (2001), 7,887.6 (2000)

Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September

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: primar