South East Asian Trips

Laos is one of South Asia's most primitive economies, and depends heavily on external aid, both from the IMF and other donors like Japan. Almost 46% of the country's population lives below the poverty line, and nearly 80% are employed in agriculture, the main sector of the economy. The communist government has been making attempts at encouraging privatisation since 1986. Much of this effort helped the economy considerably, until the financial crisis of 1997-98 that sent the economy of Laos into a nosedive from which it is yet to recover.

Some Facts:
GDP: US$ 9.7 billion
GDP per head: US$ 2071
Annual Growth rate: 7%
Inflation: 6%
Major products: Tin, coffee, wood products, electricity, garments, rice, tobacco, timber, opium (nearly all illicit)
Major Trading Partners: Thailand, Belgium, Vietnam, Malaysia, Germany, France, Singapore and Japan.