World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide

The Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has set ambitious targets  of transitioning into a middle-income country by 2020, while achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Although it has experienced strong economic growth over the past two decades, the country is not yet on track to meet the Millennium Development Goals’ hunger target or to address more broadly undernutrition. Wasting among children under 5 has reached 18 percent in one province, the national stunting rate is 40 percent, and micronutrient deficiencies such as anaemia affect more than 40 percent of children.