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Military Strength: Flag of Brunei Brunei vs Flag of Laos Laos

Laos (ranked #108 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Brunei (#136) on the ARMS Index. Laos fields 129,000 active troops — 16:1 Brunei's 8,000, backed by 100,000 paramilitary. Brunei's $0.6B defense budget is 25:1 that of Laos ($0.02B).

ARMS (Aggregate Rating of Military Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Brunei BruneiWorld #136 13.2
ARMS Index / 100

Laos leads on 3 of 6 pillars

Flag of Laos LaosWorld #108 18.8
  • 44.08,000 active troops Manpower15 % 61.2129K active troops
  • 0.00 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 50.4160 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 19.90 combat aircraft Air power25 % 25.74 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 29.0$560M budget Defense budget10 % 9.6$23M budget
Brunei Laos Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×1.05 vs ×0.80 · Methodology
Key figures
Brunei Laos Ratio
Defense budget $560M $23M 🇧🇳 25×
– share of GDP 3.7% 0.2% 🇧🇳 19×
Active personnel 8,000 129,000 🇱🇦 16×
Combat aircraft 0 4 🇱🇦
Warships 0 0 —
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 0 160 🇱🇦
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 700 0 🇧🇳
Paramilitary forces 500 100,000 🇱🇦 200×
Military aircraft (all types) 26 32 🇱🇦 1.2×
– helicopters 19 23 🇱🇦 1.2×
Budget share of govt spending 12.2% 0.8% 🇧🇳 16×
Budget per capita $1,216 $4 🇧🇳 347×
Population 462K 7.8M 🇱🇦 17×
GDP $15B $17B 🇱🇦 1.1×
GDP per capita $33,153 $2,124 🇧🇳 16×
Land area 5,265 km² 230,800 km² 🇱🇦 44×
Coastline 161 km 0 km 🇧🇳
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇱🇦 LaosJL-8 ×4
Defense budget history Brunei ×41.6 · Laos ×0.6 since 1971
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Brunei or Laos?
Laos has approximately 129,000 active military personnel compared to Brunei's 8,000, giving Laos a 16:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Brunei or Laos?
Laos operates 4 combat aircraft compared to Brunei's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Which country spends more on defense, Brunei or Laos?
Brunei has a larger defense budget at $560 million (25:1 more) compared to Laos's $23 million annually.
Do Brunei and Laos have nuclear weapons?
Neither Brunei nor Laos currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Brunei and Laos compare?
Laos operates 160 main battle tanks compared to Brunei's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.