Laos Sustainable Development Goals
For this blog, I've chosen five of the UN's sustainable development goals to look at how well Laos is doing at progressing towards those goals.
The first I'll look at is Goal 3, Good Health and Well-Being. In this category, I believe Laos is demonstrating significant progress. Data from World Bank shows Laos had an average life expectancy of about 43 in 1960, but since then has been consistently on the rise and by 2017 had reached 67 [1]. Although there is certainly space for improvement, this shows they are quite quickly making large strides at improving public health.
Next is Goal 7, Affordable and Clean Energy. I read a report related to doing business as a small or medium company in Laos, and one of the most-often cited issues is power outages [2]. This is concerning both because the report went on to specify 82% of employment in the nation comes from these small businesses, and also because it implies energy access is similarly scarce for everyone else.
Then Goal 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth. The OEC indicates Laos's per capita GDP has been on the rise for a while now, currently at about $7000 [3]. It is a little concerning that their primary export, copper ore, has not in the last 5 years seen much growth, but other industries are on the rise, namely for products like color televisions, receivers, monitors, and projectors. While the economy is certainly still developing, this shift from raw to manufactured goods may be a very good sign.
Next, Goal 10, Reduced Inequalities. On this front, unfortunately, the UN indicates inequality actually rose from around 15% in 2010 to 20% in 2012, and has stayed around 20% since then [4]. This stat is surprising given that in that same period per-capita-GDP and life expectancy have both been on the rise.
Finally, Goal 16, Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. In a 2017/2018 report, Amnesty.org points to a major issue in the nation being government oppression [5]. It discusses how despite agreements, the government continues to restrict press freedom and abduct citizens. This is very concerning and places the nation far from reaching this goal. Significant action will need to be taken to see progress.
Works Cited:
[1] "Lao PDR." The World Bank, The World Bank Group, data.worldbank.org/country/lao-pdr
[2] "Maintaining Economic Stability in Lao PDR." The World Bank, The World Bank Group, 12 August, 2019, www.worldbank.org/en/country/lao/publication/maintaining-economic-stability-in-lao-pdr
[3] "Laos." OEC, Observatory of Economic Complexity, oec.world/en/profile/country/lao/#Exports
[4] "Inequality in Income (%)." Human Development Reports, United Nations Development Programme, hdr.undp.org/en/indicators/101706
[5] "Laos 2017/2018." Amnesty International, Amnesty International, www.amnesty.org/en/countries/asia-and-the-pacific/laos/report-laos/
The first I'll look at is Goal 3, Good Health and Well-Being. In this category, I believe Laos is demonstrating significant progress. Data from World Bank shows Laos had an average life expectancy of about 43 in 1960, but since then has been consistently on the rise and by 2017 had reached 67 [1]. Although there is certainly space for improvement, this shows they are quite quickly making large strides at improving public health.
Next is Goal 7, Affordable and Clean Energy. I read a report related to doing business as a small or medium company in Laos, and one of the most-often cited issues is power outages [2]. This is concerning both because the report went on to specify 82% of employment in the nation comes from these small businesses, and also because it implies energy access is similarly scarce for everyone else.
Then Goal 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth. The OEC indicates Laos's per capita GDP has been on the rise for a while now, currently at about $7000 [3]. It is a little concerning that their primary export, copper ore, has not in the last 5 years seen much growth, but other industries are on the rise, namely for products like color televisions, receivers, monitors, and projectors. While the economy is certainly still developing, this shift from raw to manufactured goods may be a very good sign.
Next, Goal 10, Reduced Inequalities. On this front, unfortunately, the UN indicates inequality actually rose from around 15% in 2010 to 20% in 2012, and has stayed around 20% since then [4]. This stat is surprising given that in that same period per-capita-GDP and life expectancy have both been on the rise.
Finally, Goal 16, Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. In a 2017/2018 report, Amnesty.org points to a major issue in the nation being government oppression [5]. It discusses how despite agreements, the government continues to restrict press freedom and abduct citizens. This is very concerning and places the nation far from reaching this goal. Significant action will need to be taken to see progress.
Works Cited:
[1] "Lao PDR." The World Bank, The World Bank Group, data.worldbank.org/country/lao-pdr
[2] "Maintaining Economic Stability in Lao PDR." The World Bank, The World Bank Group, 12 August, 2019, www.worldbank.org/en/country/lao/publication/maintaining-economic-stability-in-lao-pdr
[3] "Laos." OEC, Observatory of Economic Complexity, oec.world/en/profile/country/lao/#Exports
[4] "Inequality in Income (%)." Human Development Reports, United Nations Development Programme, hdr.undp.org/en/indicators/101706
[5] "Laos 2017/2018." Amnesty International, Amnesty International, www.amnesty.org/en/countries/asia-and-the-pacific/laos/report-laos/
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