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Military Strength: Flag of Laos Laos vs Flag of Myanmar Myanmar

Myanmar (ranked #32 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Laos (#101) on the ATLAS Index. Myanmar fields 201,000 active troops — 6.9:1 Laos's 29,100, backed by 70,000 paramilitary. Myanmar's $2.9B defense budget is 127:1 that of Laos ($0.02B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Laos LaosWorld #101 14.7
ATLAS Index / 100

Myanmar leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of Myanmar MyanmarWorld #32 36.0
  • 35.029K active troops Manpower10 % 50.3201K active troops
  • 32.0160 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 53.3950 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 37.5162 warships
  • 14.24 combat aircraft Air power25 % 30.7133 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 7.0$23M budget Defense budget15 % 31.2$2.9B budget
Laos Myanmar Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · each conventional pillar read after its branch's availability proxy · Methodology
Key figures
Laos Myanmar Ratio
Defense budget $23M $2.9B 🇲🇲 127×
– share of GDP 0.2% 3.9% 🇲🇲 21×
Active personnel 29,100 201,000 🇲🇲 6.9×
Combat aircraft 4 133 🇲🇲 33×
Warships 0 162 🇲🇲
– submarines 0 2 🇲🇲
Main battle tanks 160 950 🇲🇲 5.9×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 0 —
Paramilitary forces 100,000 70,000 🇱🇦 1.4×
Military aircraft (all types) 32 335 🇲🇲 10×
– helicopters 23 85 🇲🇲 3.7×
Budget share of govt spending 0.8% — 🇱🇦
Budget per capita $4 $53 🇲🇲 15×
Population 7.9M 54.9M 🇲🇲 7.0×
GDP $18B $82B 🇲🇲 4.5×
GDP per capita $2,325 $1,489 🇱🇦 1.6×
Land area 230,800 km² 653,508 km² 🇲🇲 2.8×
Coastline 0 km 1,930 km 🇲🇲
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇱🇦 LaosJL-8 ×4
🇲🇲 MyanmarJL-8 ×39T-72 ×300Kilo-class ×1
Defense budget history Laos ×0.2 · Myanmar ×1.7 since 1992
Military personnel history
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Laos or Myanmar?
Myanmar has approximately 201,000 active military personnel compared to Laos's 29,100, giving Myanmar a 6.9:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Laos or Myanmar?
Myanmar operates 133 combat aircraft compared to Laos's 4. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Laos or Myanmar?
Myanmar has a larger navy with 162 warships compared to Laos's 0. Laos operates 0 submarines while Myanmar has 2.
Which country spends more on defense, Laos or Myanmar?
Myanmar has a larger defense budget at $2.9 billion (127:1 more) compared to Laos's $23 million annually.
Do Laos and Myanmar have nuclear weapons?
Neither Laos nor Myanmar currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Laos and Myanmar compare?
Myanmar operates 950 main battle tanks compared to Laos's 160. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.