Land use: arable land: 4% permanent crops: 0% other: 96% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,640 sq km note: rainy season irrigation - 2,169 sq km;
dry season irrigation - 750 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: floods, droughts

Environment - current issues: unexploded ordnance; deforestation;
soil erosion; a majority of the population does not have access to
potable water

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and
thickly forested; the Mekong forms a large part of the western boundary
with Thailand

People Laos

Population: 5,777,180 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.5% (male 1,233,659; female 1,219,872)
15-64 years: 54.2% (male 1,543,246; female 1,591,419) 65 years and over:
3.3% (male 86,375; female 102,609) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.47% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 37.39 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 12.71 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.84 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 90.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: 55.87 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 5.03 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.05% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1,400 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 130 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s) adjective: Lao or Laotian

Ethnic groups: Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao
Soung (highland) including the Hmong ("Meo") and the Yao (Mien) 9%,
ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1%

Religions: Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various
Christian denominations 1.5%)

Languages: Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total
population: 57% male: 70% female: 44% (1999 est.)

Government Laos

Country name: conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic
conventional short form: Laos local