Lao PDR: Economy
Driven by solid expansion in electricity production for export and a bouyant service sector, growth held up well at 6.8% in 2016. Work on a major cross-border railway project should help strengthen growth this year and next. Both inflation and the current account deficit look set to rise. Major policy changes are needed to promote labor-intensive manufacturing and make the benefits of growth more inclusive. Read more from Asian Development Outlook 2017
Economic forecasts for Southeast Asian countries
| Country | 2017f | 2018f |
|---|---|---|
| Brunei Darussalam | 1.0 | 2.5 |
| Cambodia | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Indonesia | 5.1 | 5.3 |
| Lao People’s Democratic Republic | 6.9 | 7.0 |
| Malaysia | 4.4 | 4.6 |
| Myanmar | 7.7 | 8.0 |
| Philippines | 6.4 | 6.6 |
| Singapore | 2.2 | 2.3 |
| Thailand | 3.5 | 3.6 |
| Viet Nam | 6.5 | 6.7 |
| Average | 4.8 | 5.0 |
| Country | 2017f | 2018f |
|---|---|---|
| Brunei Darussalam | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Cambodia | 3.4 | 3.5 |
| Indonesia | 4.3 | 4.5 |
| Lao People’s Democratic Republic | 2.5 | 3.0 |
| Malaysia | 3.3 | 2.7 |
| Myanmar | 7.0 | 7.5 |
| Philippines | 3.5 | 3.7 |
| Singapore | 1.0 | 1.5 |
| Thailand | 1.8 | 2.0 |
| Viet Nam | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| Average | 3.3 | 3.5 |
| Country | 2017f | 2018f |
|---|---|---|
| Brunei Darussalam | 5.3 | 5.5 |
| Cambodia | –9.4 | –9.0 |
| Indonesia | –1.7 | –1.6 |
| Lao People’s Democratic Republic | –19.0 | –20.0 |
| Malaysia | 1.8 | 2.0 |
| Myanmar | –8.0 | –8.0 |
| Philippines | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| Singapore | 19.5 | 19.8 |
| Thailand | 9.0 | 7.0 |
| Viet Nam | 2.0 | 2.5 |
| Average | 3.1 | 3.0 |
f = forecast number.
Source: Asian Development Outlook 2017