GlobalMilitary.net Open-source military intelligence Updated daily
Head-to-head

Military Strength: Flag of Laos Laos vs Flag of Syria Syria

Syria (ranked #82 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Laos (#100) on the ATLAS Index. Syria fields 269,000 active troops — 2.1:1 Laos's 129,000. Syria's $2.5B defense budget is 110:1 that of Laos ($0.02B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Laos LaosWorld #100 14.8
ATLAS Index / 100

Syria leads on 3 of 6 pillars

Flag of Syria SyriaWorld #82 20.0
  • 35.0129K active troops Manpower10 % 47.3269K active troops
  • 32.2160 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 20.1365 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 14.34 combat aircraft Air power25 % 30.6225 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 7.0$23M budget Defense budget15 % 22.8$2.5B budget
Laos Syria 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 Syria Ratio
Defense budget $23M $2.5B 🇸🇾 110×
– share of GDP 0.2% 4.1% 🇸🇾 21×
Active personnel 129,000 269,000 🇸🇾 2.1×
Combat aircraft 4 225 🇸🇾 56×
Warships 0 0 —
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 160 365 🇸🇾 2.3×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 0 —
Paramilitary forces 100,000 0 🇱🇦
Military aircraft (all types) 32 414 🇸🇾 13×
– helicopters 23 153 🇸🇾 6.7×
Budget share of govt spending 0.8% 13.6% 🇸🇾 17×
Budget per capita $4 $110 🇸🇾 31×
Population 7.8M 24.7M 🇸🇾 3.2×
GDP $17B $24B 🇸🇾 1.4×
GDP per capita $2,124 $957 🇱🇦 2.2×
Land area 230,800 km² 183,630 km² 🇱🇦 1.3×
Coastline 0 km 193 km 🇸🇾
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇱🇦 LaosJL-8 ×4
🇸🇾 SyriaMiG-23 Flogger ×87
Defense budget history Laos ×0.2 · Syria ×0.8 since 1992
Military personnel history
Explore this matchup
Go deeper · same matchup, other lenses
Air forces
Change opponent
Laos vsAfghanistanKyrgyzstanGeorgiaTajikistanMongolia
Syria vsArmeniaYemenLebanonMongoliaUzbekistan
Related comparisons & rankings
Strongest militaries in the world (2026) Coalition Builder: compare alliances & blocs

Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Laos or Syria?
Syria has approximately 269,000 active military personnel compared to Laos's 129,000, giving Syria a 2.1:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Laos or Syria?
Syria operates 225 combat aircraft compared to Laos's 4. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Which country spends more on defense, Laos or Syria?
Syria has a larger defense budget at $2.5 billion (110:1 more) compared to Laos's $23 million annually.
Do Laos and Syria have nuclear weapons?
Neither Laos nor Syria currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Laos and Syria compare?
Syria operates 365 main battle tanks compared to Laos's 160. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.