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Map of Laos

Laos

A landlocked country of 7 million between the Mekong River and Annamite Cordillera, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR or Laos) has the lowest population density in Southeast Asia. Officially, over 81% of land is classified as forest, and only 6.5% is arable land.

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More on this country

News Browse all

Land deals increase income, but not well-being

3 November 2023

Much arable land in developing countries is inefficiently managed or lies fallow: Since this became the accepted, World Bank-endorsed narrative in 2008, it has shaped the agricultural policies of many developing countries. At the same time, it has opened the doors to private investors seeking to…

Laos Struggles as Forest Coverage Hits Record Low

5 June 2023

Laos’ forest coverage has reached a record low of 40%, prompting the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to implement conservation measures and rejuvenation plans to protect and revive the country’s forests.

Laos is planning to build a dam on the Mekong River in the area of Pak Beng

Lao villagers worry that compensation for Pak Beng Dam will be too low

14 March 2023

Lao villagers worry that compensation for Pak Beng Dam will be too low

Blogs Browse all
Women farmers in Cambodia

What’s Gender Got to Do with the Governance of Land?

5 March 2024

A Recap of the Recent Land Portal-MRLG Webinar on Gender Equitable Land Governance in the Mekong Region On Thursday 15 February, the Mekong Region Land Governance (MRLG) project and the Land Portal launched the first webinar in the State of Land in the Mekong series. The series, which will consist…

Events Browse all
Women's Land Rights in the Mekong

Women’s Participation in Land Governance in the Mekong: Moving Beyond Quotas to Meaningful Inputs and Influence

Join us in a webinar that will shine light on two groundbreaking reports concerning gender and land governance in the Mekong region. The reports, "Outlook on Gender and Land in the Mekong Region" and "Towards Gender-Equitable Land Policy and Law Making in the Mekong Region," were produced in Phase…