Asian Development Bank and Lao People’s Democratic Republic: Fact Sheet

Abstract

Updated yearly, this ADB Fact Sheet provides social and economic indicators on the Lao People’s Democratic Republic as well as concise information on ADB's operations in the country and contact information. The Lao PDR joined the Asian Development Bank (ADB) at its founding in 1966 and, as of the end of December 2009, has received approved loans and grants totaling $1.45 billion, with technical assistance projects amounting to $122.6 million. ADB has extended development assistance to the Lao PDR since 1968 and continues to remain the largest multilateral financier to the country. In the 1970s and 1980s, assistance was focused mainly on projects involving infrastructure development in the transport and energy sectors, as well as the agriculture sector. ADB has been active in the development of the finance sector since the latter part of the 1980s, and broadened its assistance in the 1990s and 2000s to include rural development, social development, and the environment.