News •
The predominant religion of Laos is Theravada Buddhism. Buddhism was the state religion of the prerepublic kingdom of Laos, and the organization of the community of monks and novices, the clergy (sangha), paralleled the political hierarchy. Buddhists—largely lowland Lao—account for about half the country’s people. Some two-fifths of the population, primarily the Lao Theung and Lao Soung groups, follow non-Buddhist local religions. Buddhism and local religion are not necessarily mutually exclusive, however; there is both a syncretic practice of and a general tolerance for local religious traditions within the broader Buddhist community.
Similarly, some of the upland peoples, especially those who have migrated from southern China, mix Confucian ideas with Buddhism and local religions. The Vietnamese, who live both in the cities and in the northeastern rural areas, practice a mixture of Mahayana Buddhism and Confucianism.
Other smaller religious communities include Christians, Muslims, and followers of the Bahāʾī faith. Although the country’s constitution provides for freedom of religion in theory, the government restricts this right in practice, particularly with respect to the minority religions. Since some heavy-handed attempts in the aftermath of 1975 to take over the sangha, which was perceived as a rival grassroots organization, and the subsequent flight of many monks abroad, the government has treaded carefully. The regime has patronized a revival of Buddhist culture and merit making and has also tolerated the practice of many unique religious traditions that it earlier had publicly discouraged as “superstitious.”
Settlement patterns
Laos is predominantly rural and agricultural. The numerous isolated valley communities preserve a variety of traditions, languages, and dialects. Lowland villages usually are located close to rivers and roads that give the people access to itinerant traders as well as to each other. Most of the settlements are laid out around a main street or open area, with farmlands adjacent to the residential areas. Every lowland village, if it can, has a Buddhist temple and supports at least one monk. The temple compound typically includes a public building that serves as a school and a meeting hall. Village leadership is usually divided, the headman overseeing secular matters, the monk having authority in religious ones.
The upland and midland peoples—the Lao Soung and Lao Theung, respectively—are largely organized along clan lines and live in smaller groupings. Most cultivate swiddens (i.e., fields that are cleared and cultivated for a few years before being abandoned and allowed to revert to forest), hunt game, and collect various edible and nonedible forest products. Among some peoples, particularly the Hmong, shifting cultivation has prevented the establishment of permanent villages. Midland peoples living closer to the lowland areas have tended more readily to acquire the languages and cultures of their neighbours and to engage in trade with them; those living at higher elevations remain less obviously acculturated.
Urban life in Laos is limited mainly to the capital, Vientiane, the former royal capital, Louangphrabang, and four or five other large towns. With the exception of Louangphrabang, all are located in the floodplain area near the Mekong River. Their populations are predominantly Lao, with smaller groups of Chinese, Vietnamese, and Indians.
Demographic trends
The country has remained overwhelmingly rural, with the bulk of the population living in villages ranging from just a few to several hundred households. Laos has the lowest population density of any country of Southeast Asia, and its population is also one of the most youthful. A high birth rate is offset by a high rate of infant mortality, as well as by a life expectancy that is significantly below the world average.
About half the people are concentrated in the lowlands, and between one-third and two-fifths are urban dwellers. There has been a considerable out-migration of people from Laos since the mid-1970s, including not only survivors of the Hmong “secret army” from the Vietnam War (1954–75) but also many of the country’s educated and professional elite. Large communities of Lao and Hmong now live in the United States, Australia, and France.
Economy
The economy of Laos is primarily agricultural and since the late 20th century has remained heavily dependent on foreign aid and investment. The disruption during the civil war period (late 1950s to 1975) and the economic policies of the early years of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic—notably the attempt to collectivize agriculture—resulted in economic stagnation in the country. By 1980, however, the government had begun to pursue more pragmatic development policies, and in 1986 it introduced market-oriented reforms. Since then private and state enterprises have operated side by side, and foreign investment has been encouraged. A number of nongovernmental organizations, including some from the United States, have been assisting the government, mainly in the fields of rural development and public health.