Growing Economy
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) has one of the lowest population densities in Asia. It is predominantly rural country with a population of 7.2 million people who live in over 10,000 villages in remote, ethnically diverse areas.
In recent years, Lao PDR ranked as one of the fastest growing economies in East Asia and the Pacific but the benefits are not evenly spread across regions. 23% of the population lives below the national poverty line ($1.25/day). The country is ranked 137 out of 162 countries in the 2020 Gender Inequality Index. Almost 20% of the population already experienced moderate to severe food insecurity before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Three quarters of families are engaged in agriculture. Whether in irrigated paddies in the valleys or in rain-fed fields upland, rice is cultivated by 90% of farmers and constitutes the main staple food. Only one third of farmers grow additional crops. Coupled with the declining availability of forest foods due to deforestation and unsustainable gathering methods, the diets of vulnerable communities lack diversity.
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