Army / Ground Forces
- Tanks
- 160
- Armored vehicles
- 7,725
- Self-propelled artillery
- 50
- Towed artillery
- 97
- MLRS
- 64
2026 military profile
Laos Military Power
Asia · Rank #85 of 145
1.5Strength Scoreout of 100 — #85 globally
How this score is calculatedLaos military overview
In the MilitaryDex 2026 data edition, Laos ranks #85 of 145 countries with an MSS score of 1.5/100. The profile reports 100,000 active personnel, 29 total aircraft, 160 tanks and 0 naval assets, supported by an estimated annual defense budget of $355.6M.
Its highest normalized MSS category is Manpower (3/100); its lowest is Air Force (0/100). These are relative inventory scores, not assessments of readiness or combat effectiveness.
Profile scope
- Data edition
- 2026
- Indicators
- 29 fields
- Country set
- 145
- Regional rank
- #25 of 29
- Missing data
- Shown as N/A
KEY MILITARY STATISTICS
Active troops
100,000
↓38% vs avg
Reserve troops
30,000
Total aircraft
29
↓92% vs avg
Naval assets
0
↓100% vs avg
Defense budget
$355.6M
Nuclear warheads
0
Regional and population context
Rank in Asia
#25
of 29 profiles
Population
7,873,046
World Bank 2025
Nominal GDP
$18.3B
World Bank 2025
Land area
230,800 km²
World Bank 2023
Budget per resident
$45.167
derived from reported budget and population
Active troops per 1,000
12.70
population-normalized
Regional medians
150,000 troops
168 aircraft
Army, air force and navy inventory
Air Force
- Total aircraft
- 29
- Fighters
- 0
- Attack aircraft
- 0
- Transport aircraft
- 9
- Helicopters
- 20
- Attack helicopters
- 0
Navy
- Total vessels
- 0
- Aircraft carriers
- N/A
- Destroyers
- N/A
- Submarines
- N/A
- Frigates
- N/A
- Patrol vessels
- N/A
MSS category profile
Normalized against the largest value in the 2026 country set. The listed weight is each category's contribution to the overall score.
Manpower (25% weight)3/100
Air Force (20% weight)0/100
Navy (15% weight)0/100
Army (15% weight)2/100
Financial (15% weight)0/100
Nuclear (10% weight)0/100
Compare Laos
Laos military power FAQ
What is Laos's military rank in 2026?
MilitaryDex ranks Laos #85 of 145 countries using its inventory-based MSS formula. This is a MilitaryDex calculation, not an official government ranking.
How large are Laos's armed forces?
The current profile reports 100,000 active personnel, 30,000 reserve personnel and 120,000 paramilitary personnel.
Does a higher score mean Laos would win a war?
No. MSS summarizes selected inventory and spending figures. It does not model readiness, training, geography, alliances, logistics, doctrine, technology quality or political objectives.