Geographical location :
Landlocked state in Southeast Asia, bordered by China to the north, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, Thailand to the west, and Myanmar to the northwest.
(i.e. 7,953,556)
nominal, current US$
Note. (constant 2015 US$): ~ USD 2,124
Why Laos might be considered a fragile/at-risk state
Laos operates under a single-party Leninist structure (Lao People’s Revolutionary Party), where formal elections lack genuine contestation, and executive control dominates over any institutional checks. (Conceptualising Party-State Governance, Tandfonline) The administrative and political apparatus is characterised by limited capacity and weak implementation, so that many reforms are announced but poorly executed. Corruption permeates public life: Laos ranked 126th out of 180 in the Corruption Perceptions Index (2022) — indicating serious integrity challenges. In the Fragile States Index 2024, Laos ranked #71 with a score of 73.8, reflecting rising fragility pressures. The country faces macroeconomic stress: high debt burden, inflation, currency depreciation, and dependency on external infrastructure financing (especially Chinese projects) increase its vulnerability to shocks.
