Laos takes new step to harness demographic dividend

Laos is developing its first demographic dividend roadmap as part of efforts to leverage its large working-age population for national social and economic progress, according to a Lao delegate attending the Mekong Side Event of the 58th Session of the Commission on Population and Development at the UN Headquarters in New York earlier this month.
Deputy Director General of the Planning and Finance Department of the Ministry of Health, Dr Viengmany Bounkham, said Laos was in the process of formulating its first Demographic Dividend Roadmap to maximise the benefit of 60 percent of the Lao population being under the age of 25.

Dr Viengmany Bounkham.

“This document serves as a complementary document to the National Population and Development Policy, providing key interventions and actions to maximise the benefits of the demographic transition,” she said.
Dr Viengmany, along with officials from the Lao Mission to the United Nations, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Planning and Investment, joined a number of delegates from Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam, representatives from civil society and relevant sectors at the Mekong Side Event.
The event took place on April 10 with support from the Australian Government and UNFPA.
It took the theme: Mekong countries leveraging gains in health and well-being through demographic resilience, and had the following objectives:
To share achievements, best practices, and lessons learned from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam in progressing health and well-being at all ages.
Showcase transformative approaches in integrating population planning into health and well-being.
Demonstrate how Mekong countries are leveraging domestic financing for their ICPD commitments through a range of approaches.
Provide actionable recommendations based on the experiences of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam towards demonstrating how accelerating and advancing the ICPD PoA benefits their countries’ economic advancement.
Identify successes and actions that can be easily transferred to other countries in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.
Dr Viengmany said Laos’ demographic dividend roadmap would focus on enhancing access to healthcare including sexual reproductive health services, as well as tackling issues such as malnutrition, early marriage, adolescent pregnancy, and school dropouts.
The roadmap will also help narrow the mismatch between the labour market and the education system, improve skill development, and strengthen social protection systems.
She shared with event participants’ successful interventions by Laos to improve the health and well-being of citizens, including the launch of the national Family Planning 2030 commitments, a global partnership working to ensure that all people, particularly those in remote areas, have access to the reproductive healthcare they need to build a better future.
Other successful interventions highlighted by Dr Viengmany included an increased number of skilled midwifes and the adoption of a rights-based and gender-sensitive approach, which focuses on improving health, education, gender equality, and overall human capital development as a pathway to an improved quality of life.
Dr Viengmany said that despite these successes, Laos continues to face multiple challenges, such as declining official development assistance, limited fiscal space, and health staff availability, coupled with the impact of climate change and natural disasters on the population’s health and well-being.
“We need to think about domestic and regional financing mechanisms, looking to our ASEAN neighbours for partnership and support, as well as expanding partnerships with the private sector since this area remains underutilised,” she said.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update April 30, 2025)