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Military Strength: Flag of Laos Laos vs Flag of Timor-Leste Timor-Leste

Laos (ranked #108 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Timor-Leste (#163) on the ARMS Index. Laos fields 129,000 active troops — 64:1 Timor-Leste's 2,000, backed by 100,000 paramilitary. Timor-Leste's $0.05B defense budget is 2.1:1 that of Laos ($0.02B).

ARMS (Aggregate Rating of Military Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Laos LaosWorld #108 18.8
ARMS Index / 100

Laos leads on 3 of 6 pillars

Flag of Timor-Leste Timor-LesteWorld #163 5.5
  • 61.2129K active troops Manpower15 % 34.92,000 active troops
  • 50.4160 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 0.00 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 25.74 combat aircraft Air power25 % 0.00 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 9.6$23M budget Defense budget10 % 13.1$47M budget
Laos Timor-Leste Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×0.80 vs ×0.96 · Methodology
Key figures
Laos Timor-Leste Ratio
Defense budget $23M $47M 🇹🇱 2.1×
– share of GDP 0.2% 2.5% 🇹🇱 13×
Active personnel 129,000 2,000 🇱🇦 64×
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 0 🇱🇦
Military aircraft (all types) 32 0 🇱🇦
– helicopters 23 0 🇱🇦
Budget share of govt spending 0.8% — 🇱🇦
Budget per capita $4 $33 🇹🇱 9.5×
Population 7.8M 1.4M 🇱🇦 5.5×
GDP $17B $1.9B 🇱🇦 8.8×
GDP per capita $2,124 $1,332 🇱🇦 1.6×
Land area 230,800 km² 14,919 km² 🇱🇦 15×
Coastline 0 km 706 km 🇹🇱
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇱🇦 LaosJL-8 ×4
Defense budget history
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Laos or Timor-Leste?
Laos has approximately 129,000 active military personnel compared to Timor-Leste's 2,000, giving Laos a 64:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Laos or Timor-Leste?
Laos operates 4 combat aircraft compared to Timor-Leste's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Which country spends more on defense, Laos or Timor-Leste?
Timor-Leste has a larger defense budget at $47 million (2.1:1 more) compared to Laos's $23 million annually.
Do Laos and Timor-Leste have nuclear weapons?
Neither Laos nor Timor-Leste currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Laos and Timor-Leste compare?
Laos operates 160 main battle tanks compared to Timor-Leste's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.