Military Strength: Laos vs Vietnam

Overview

Vietnam (ranked #16 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Laos (#94) on the Global Military Index. Vietnam fields 522,000 active troops — 4.0x Laos's 129,000, backed by 5,000,000 reserves and 40,000 paramilitary. Vietnam's $6B defense budget is 242:1 that of Laos ($0.02B).

In the air, Laos operates 32 aircraft including 4 combat jets, while Vietnam fields 205 with 71 fighters.

Vietnam operates a 109-ship naval fleet; Laos has no navy. On the ground, Laos deploys 160 main battle tanks vs 1,374 for Vietnam.

Neither Laos nor Vietnam possesses nuclear weapons.

Global Military Index 31.5 (#94)
🪖 Military personnel 129,000
– Reserve troops 0
– Paramilitary forces 100,000
🛩️ Military aircraft 32
– incl. combat aircraft 4
– incl. bombers 0
– incl. helicopters 23
⚓️ Military ships 0
– incl. aircraft carriers 0
– incl. submarines 0
🚛 Main battle tanks 160
💥 Nuclear warheads 0
Global Military Index 59.0 (#16)
🪖 Military personnel 522,000
– Reserve troops 5,000,000
– Paramilitary forces 40,000
🛩️ Military aircraft 205
– incl. combat aircraft 71
– incl. bombers 0
– incl. helicopters 42
⚓️ Military ships 109
– incl. aircraft carriers 0
– incl. submarines 9
🚛 Main battle tanks 1,374
💥 Nuclear warheads 0

🇱🇦 Laos Global Military Index

31.5
Global Rank: #94
🪖 Manpower (15%) 68.2 Active, reserve & paramilitary: 59100 effective
🛡️ Ground Firepower (20%) 49.0 Main battle tanks: 160
⚓ Naval Power (20%) 0.0 Weighted by ship type: carriers, submarines, destroyers...
✈️ Air Power (25%) 37.5 Weighted by aircraft type: combat, bombers, helicopters...
☢️ Nuclear Deterrent (10%) 0.0 No declared nuclear capability
💰 Defense Budget (10%) 21.1 $0.0B annual military spending

🇻🇳 Vietnam Global Military Index

59.0
Global Rank: #16
🪖 Manpower (15%) 92.5 Active, reserve & paramilitary: 2962000 effective
🛡️ Ground Firepower (20%) 69.7 Main battle tanks: 1374
⚓ Naval Power (20%) 57.8 Weighted by ship type: carriers, submarines, destroyers...
✈️ Air Power (25%) 55.5 Weighted by aircraft type: combat, bombers, helicopters...
☢️ Nuclear Deterrent (10%) 0.0 No declared nuclear capability
💰 Defense Budget (10%) 57.5 $5.5B annual military spending

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Population 7.6 million
GDP $15.5 billion
GDP per capita $2,046
Military Budget $22.7 million
Share of GDP in Milex 0.2%
Share of Govt Expenditures 0.8%
Military spends per capita $4
Population 99.7 million
GDP $410.3 billion
GDP per capita $4,116
Military Budget $5.5 billion
Share of GDP in Milex 1.8%
Share of Govt Expenditures 8.8%
Military spends per capita $57

Laos Geography

Land Area 230,800 km²
Coastline Length 0 km

Vietnam Geography

Land Area 310,070 km²
Coastline Length 3,444 km

Military Forces Chart

Economic Metrics Chart

Military Budget Evolution

Military Personnel Evolution

Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Laos or Vietnam?
Vietnam has approximately 522,000 active military personnel compared to Laos's 129,000, giving Vietnam a 4:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Laos or Vietnam?
Vietnam operates 71 combat aircraft compared to Laos's 4. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Laos or Vietnam?
Vietnam has a larger navy with 109 vessels compared to Laos's 0 ships. Laos operates 0 submarines while Vietnam has 9.
Which country spends more on defense, Laos or Vietnam?
Vietnam has a larger defense budget at $5.5 billion (242:1 more) compared to Laos's $23 million annually.
Do Laos and Vietnam have nuclear weapons?
Neither Laos nor Vietnam currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Laos and Vietnam compare?
Vietnam operates 1,374 main battle tanks compared to Laos's 160. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.