Vientiane: The Lao Statistics Bureau (LSB), under the Ministry of Finance, convened the Sixth Stakeholder Briefing on the 2025 Population and Housing Census (PHC) today. This meeting brought together representatives from government ministries, embassies, UN agencies, development partners, and other key stakeholders. The briefing aimed to review progress, celebrate achievements, identify challenges, and align priorities ahead of the historic census.
According to Lao News Agency, the 2025 PHC, which is the fifth national census and the first-ever digital census in Lao PDR, represents a crucial opportunity to generate essential data guiding national policies and sustainable development. Participants at the meeting emphasized strong partnerships, enhanced coordination, and continued support to ensure the census’s effective and timely implementation.
Opening the meeting, Mr. Santiphab Phomvihane, Minister of Finance, underscored the strategic importance of the census. He noted that its results will be instrumental in evaluating the implementation of the 9th National Socio-Economic Development Plan (2021-2025) and will provide a critical baseline for the upcoming 10th Plan (2026-2030), which is set to be endorsed next year.
Ms. Phetsamone Sone, Head of the Lao Statistics Bureau, reported that census preparations are nearing completion, with full-scale field data collection scheduled to begin on 3 November 2025, lasting six to eight weeks. She highlighted key milestones, including the development of inclusive census questionnaires, completion of the pilot census, ongoing GIS-based delineation of Enumeration Areas, and the training of master trainers, which will be completed by September 5, followed by enumerator training in late October 2025.
Dr. Bakhtiyor, UNFPA Representative, underscored the significance of partnership in supporting the Lao government to carry out the first-ever digital census in Lao PDR. He emphasized that the census is a collective effort to support Lao PDR in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring that no one is left behind.
The funding gap for the census has been reduced significantly, thanks to contributions from the Lao government and development partners through UNFPA. However, an additional US$ 824,000 is still needed to ensure that the census training and data collection processes are implemented on time and with high quality.
As Lao PDR’s first-ever digital census, the 2025 PHC marks a milestone in modernizing the country’s statistical system. By applying advanced technologies like Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) and GIS-based mapping, the census aims to deliver faster, more accurate, and timely data to inform evidence-based policy and decision-making.
