Lao PDR reports that alcohol harm costs 2% of the country’s GDP
According to country statistic, there were 2,360 deaths and 180,000 accidents related to alcohol.
The World Health Organization reports that the economic burden associated with alcohol harm amounts to 2% of the growth domestic product in Lao PDR.
Furthermore, alcohol is associated with more than 300.000 million illnesses, about 180.000 people with an alcohol use disorder and about 2,360 road traffic deaths involving alcohol.
The WHO report also indicates that the rate of alcohol consumption in Lao PDR is higher than in other countries in the South-East Asian region. It is projected to rise even more without proper control measures being put in place.
Both the government and the parliament have expressed concern over the harmful consequences of alcohol use, with regard to quality of life, the property of the people, as well as negative health, economic, social, and cultural consequences.
The current government and parliament are discussing the possibilities to strengthen the implementation of the alcohol control law that had been adopted in 2014.
