Key View:

• Despite high-profile actions and promises, the government appears to have made little progress in tackling widespread corruption.
• Nonetheless, we at Fitch Solution believe efforts will continue, motivated in part by the need to reduce the strain on public finances and encourage more foreign investment.
• We maintain our view that there

Key View

• At Fitch Solutions, we forecast Laos’ real GDP growth to slow to 6.6% per annum over the coming decade, versus an average of 7.6% in the last ten years.
• We note that the progress on economic diversification has stalled, and further diversification would be critical if the country wishes to sustain its rapid growth pace.
• The country’s

Key View

• Laos will likely face increased scrutiny over the coming quarters by the pro-democratic Western community after a review by the UNHCR highlighted the country’s dismal human rights record.
• However, we believe that this will have limited impact on political liberalisation and legal reforms in the country given that Laos remain dependent

Key View

• We maintain our forecast for Laos' real GDP growth to average 6.8% between 2018-2020.
• Hydropower projects are unlikely to be cancelled despite the dam collapse incident in July.
• The ongoing construction of the Vientiane-Kunming railway will continue to support growth.
• We are positive on the manufacturing and tourism sectors as the

Key View

• Laotian pharmaceutical market will remain highly challenging for multinational drugmakers.
• Limited access to medicines and the entrenched use of traditional treatments constrain the sector's growth.
• Fiscal constraints drive the government's reliance on aid to fund medical initiatives and impinges upon their goal of rolling out