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

Syria (ranked #97 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Laos (#101) on the ATLAS Index. Syria fields 169,000 active troops — 5.8:1 Laos's 29,100. 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 #101 14.7
ATLAS Index / 100

Syria leads overall, ahead on 2 of 6 pillars

Flag of Syria SyriaWorld #97 15.1
  • 35.029K active troops Manpower10 % 47.3169K active troops
  • 32.0160 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 20.4365 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 14.24 combat aircraft Air power25 % 10.92 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 29,100 169,000 🇸🇾 5.8×
Combat aircraft 4 2 🇱🇦 2.0×
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 11 🇱🇦 2.9×
– helicopters 23 6 🇱🇦 3.8×
Budget share of govt spending 0.8% 13.6% 🇸🇾 17×
Budget per capita $4 $110 🇸🇾 31×
Population 7.9M 25.6M 🇸🇾 3.3×
GDP $18B $24B 🇸🇾 1.3×
GDP per capita $2,325 $927 🇱🇦 2.5×
Land area 230,800 km² 183,630 km² 🇱🇦 1.3×
Coastline 0 km 193 km 🇸🇾
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇱🇦 LaosJL-8 ×4
🇸🇾 SyriaSu-17 Fitter ×2
Defense budget history Laos ×0.2 · Syria ×0.8 since 1992
Military personnel history
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Air forces
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Laos vsAfghanistanKyrgyzstanMongoliaTajikistanGeorgia
Syria vsMongoliaAfghanistanGeorgiaKyrgyzstanYemen
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Laos or Syria?
Syria has approximately 169,000 active military personnel compared to Laos's 29,100, giving Syria a 5.8:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Laos or Syria?
Laos operates 4 combat aircraft compared to Syria's 2. 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.