Military Strength:
Laos vs
Timor-Leste
Laos (ranked #101 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Timor-Leste (#163) on the ATLAS Index. Laos fields 29,100 active troops — 13:1 Timor-Leste's 2,280, backed by 100,000 paramilitary. Timor-Leste's $0.05B defense budget is 2.1:1 that of Laos ($0.02B).
ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Laos
Timor-Leste
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 | Timor-Leste | Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defense budget | $23M | $47M | 🇹🇱 2.1× |
| – share of GDP | 0.2% | 2.5% | 🇹🇱 13× |
| Active personnel | 29,100 | 2,280 | 🇱🇦 13× |
| 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 | 🇹🇱 9.4× |
| Population | 7.9M | 1.4M | 🇱🇦 5.6× |
| GDP | $18B | $1.9B | 🇱🇦 9.6× |
| GDP per capita | $2,325 | $1,341 | 🇱🇦 1.7× |
| 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
Explore this matchup
Change opponent
Related comparisons & rankings
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has more military personnel, Laos or Timor-Leste?
Laos has approximately 29,100 active military personnel compared to Timor-Leste's 2,280, giving Laos a 13:1 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.