Laos is a rural nation whose comparatively low population density has allowed the continuation of a village society reliant on subsistence agriculture. The deficiency of a national government infrastructure and effective transportation networks has also contributed to the relative freedom and autonomy of most villages. Residence in a village thus has been an valuable aspect of social identity, particularly for lowland Lao ethnic groups. For many upland ethnic groups, clan membership is a more valuable point of social identification. For all groups, the village community has a kinship nexus, although structures differ. Rice is the staple food for all Laotians, and most families and villages are able to produce enough or nearly enough each year for their own consumption.
Education and social services remain rudimentary at best but are improving. In lowland villages orthodox education was provided to boys and young men through the Buddhist temples. Although this practice continues in some areas, in general it has been supplanted by a national education system which, unfortunately, is hampered by limited financial resources and a deficiency of trained teachers. Western medical care is seldom available outside provincial or a few district centers and even then is very limited. Child and infant mortality is high, and life expectancy is the lowest in Southeast Asia; the population, is increasing at a rapid rate. Since the end of World War II remarkable differences in education, health, and demographic conditions have prevailed among the ethnic groups and between rural and urban populations.
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Laos