Infant mortality rate: 96.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 52.69 years male: 51.14 years female: 54.31 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.87 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)
adjective: Lao or Laotian
Ethnic divisions: Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%,
Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong ("Meo") and the Yao (Mien)
9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1%
Religions: Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40%
Languages: Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic
languages
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)
total population: 56.6%
male: 69.4%
female: 44.4%
Government —————
Name of country:
conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic
conventional short form: Laos
local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao
local short form: none