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Military Strength: Flag of Laos Laos vs Flag of Nepal Nepal

Laos (ranked #101 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Nepal (#127) on the ATLAS Index. Nepal fields 96,600 active troops — 3.3:1 Laos's 29,100, backed by 15,000 paramilitary. Nepal's $0.4B defense budget is 19:1 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

Laos leads overall, ahead on 1 of 6 pillars

Flag of Nepal NepalWorld #127 10.2
  • 35.029K active troops Manpower10 % 40.196K active troops
  • 32.0160 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 0.00 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 14.24 combat aircraft Air power25 % 15.50 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 7.0$23M budget Defense budget15 % 14.7$429M budget
Laos Nepal 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 Nepal Ratio
Defense budget $23M $429M 🇳🇵 19×
– share of GDP 0.2% 1.0% 🇳🇵 5.3×
Active personnel 29,100 96,600 🇳🇵 3.3×
Combat aircraft 4 0 🇱🇦
Warships 0 0 —
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 160 0 🇱🇦
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 0 —
Paramilitary forces 100,000 15,000 🇱🇦 6.7×
Military aircraft (all types) 32 20 🇱🇦 1.6×
– helicopters 23 13 🇱🇦 1.8×
Budget share of govt spending 0.8% — 🇱🇦
Budget per capita $4 $14 🇳🇵 4.1×
Population 7.9M 29.6M 🇳🇵 3.8×
GDP $18B $45B 🇳🇵 2.5×
GDP per capita $2,325 $1,536 🇱🇦 1.5×
Land area 230,800 km² 143,686 km² 🇱🇦 1.6×
Coastline 0 km 0 km —
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇱🇦 LaosJL-8 ×4
Defense budget history
Military personnel history
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Nepal vsTajikistanBruneiKyrgyzstanTimor-LesteAfghanistan
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Laos or Nepal?
Nepal has approximately 96,600 active military personnel compared to Laos's 29,100, giving Nepal a 3.3:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Laos or Nepal?
Laos operates 4 combat aircraft compared to Nepal's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Which country spends more on defense, Laos or Nepal?
Nepal has a larger defense budget at $429 million (19:1 more) compared to Laos's $23 million annually.
Do Laos and Nepal have nuclear weapons?
Neither Laos nor Nepal currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Laos and Nepal compare?
Laos operates 160 main battle tanks compared to Nepal's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.