| Mekong Express Home | - Laos Home - | Editor for Mekong Express |
 |
 |
 |
Lao Statistics
The emerging Vientiane database was documented in the last issue of Dok Champa. The National Statistical Center was inundated with inquiries--we had printed their telephone and fax numbers. But before we heard from the Center we had already discovered two new booklets in the Raintree Bookstore opposite Lao Aviation: Basic Statistics about the Socio-Economic Development in the Lao P.D.R. and Lao Census 1995: Preliminary Report 2 (all data from Report 1 are incorporated in Report 2). Both are briefly reviewed here.
Reliable "hard" statistics have always been hard to come by in Laos. But the climate is changing for the better. In a fax, Peter Snell, Asia Market Intelligence's (more commonly known as AMI) managing director in Bangkok, recently wrote to a friend of ours here in Vientiane:
Whilst I share your skepticism of statistics...I think things will get better. As bodies such as the World Bank, the IMF and the UNDP become more and more active they dictate the standards by which beneficiary governments must measure their economies to determine the effects of the programs that they are funding. So it should well get better in the near future.
Indeed it already is. For example, the Lao 1995 Census was funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). Bounthavy Sisouphanthong, director of the National Statistical Center, writes in his Forward to Lao Census 1995: Preliminary Report 2:
The 1995 Census is the second census undertaken by the Lao PDR Government. It was carried out in March, ten years after the first census in 1985.
The results so far are based on provisional figures compiled by the provinces and the districts. The first two reports [consolidated in Report 2] provide basic information on the population such as number of men and women and the number of households, etc. These reports will be followed by a number of detailed reports based on the information presently entered from the questionnaires into the Census database.
Lao Census 1995: Preliminary Report 2 contains a brief history of census-taking in Laos. From a historical perspective if for no other reason, we think it is worth repeating:
It is believed that the first Census in Laos was taken as early as 1377 when the then king got his name Samsenthai, "300,000 men." In modern times censuses in some respect have been taken in 1922, 1934 and 1935 when Laos was part of French Indochina. In 1922 the number of Laotians was estimated at 800,000. Later on in 1959-61 a census was carried out specifically for the whole of Laos and the result revealed that there were 1.9 million Laotians in the country. A census was also carried out in 1965-66, but only covering parts of Laos. The Lao Census 95, carried out during the first week of March, with March 1 as the reference date, revealed a population figure of 4.6 million persons, giving an annual population increase of 2.4% over the last decade.
Bounthavy Sisouphanthong also writes in his Preface to Basic Statistics about the Socio-Economic Development in the Lao P.D.R.:
The National Statistical Center...has published this statistical book...with one objective in mind: to reflect the achievements of the socio-economic development in the Lao P.D.R. since its creation in 1975 through 1995.
Laos, during this period, under the guidance of the Party and the government of the Lao P.D.R., progressed from less recent success to much newer success creatively. A second objective is to provide background data for planning and/or general knowledge to all readers about various sectors, both public and private.
We have made many attempts to collect comprehensive data, but realistically we could not fully achieve this goal. Therefore some data have been estimated according to data accumulated over many years in order to examine issues in a more adequate way.
Last, Tan (Mr.) Muongchanh, Deputy Director, Foreign Investment Management Committee, more commonly known as FIMC, was kind enough to give us two new charts: "Cumulating Foreign Investment Licensed Projects" and "US Dollar Value of Foreign Licensed Projects Sector by Sector 1988 thru 30 August 1995." As modern Laos celebrates its 20th anniversary on 2 December 1995, we think the time is more than appropriate to reproduce them here.
It is an understatement to say that Laos has opened it doors wide to development, to investment. Many professionals say Laos has the most democratic and secure investment climate in all Indochina. Congratulations, Laos! As in-the-know local and foreign investors are often overheard saying, "Laos is the best-kept investment secret in all Southeast Asia." (As a sort of pertinent PS, it is generally said on the street that the following sectors have been closed to foreign investment, Laos having reached its saturation point in these fields: transportation, packing and delivery; beauty salons; import-export, unless purely export; trading; construction and telecommunications. Thus the aggregate drop in license approvals beginning last year, the peak having been reached the year before.)
For further information please contact: 1) the National Statistical Center by telephone (856) 21-214740, or fax (856) 21-216659; 2) FIMC by telephone (856) 21-217020, or fax (856) 21-215491.