Brunei vs Laos: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population
Brunei
1.8%
in 2020
Laos
1.8%
in 2020
Brunei rank
5th
Laos rank
6th
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population over time
- Brunei
- Laos
How they compare
Brunei currently reports 1.8% against 1.8% in Laos, a difference of 0.0%.
Across all 33 years both countries report, Brunei has been ahead every year.
Brunei ranks 5th and Laos ranks 6th of 173 countries.
Brunei has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Brunei | Laos | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.7% | 1.4% | 0.4% | Brunei |
| 1990s | 2.3% | 1.8% | 0.5% | Brunei |
| 2000s | 2.7% | 2.2% | 0.5% | Brunei |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 1.9% | 0.3% | Brunei |
| 2020s | 1.8% | 1.8% | 0.0% | Brunei |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher armed forces personnel as a share of total population, Brunei or Laos?
- Brunei, at 1.8% against 1.8% in Laos as of 2020.
- What is the difference in armed forces personnel as a share of total population between Brunei and Laos?
- 0.0%, with Brunei ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Brunei and Laos?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
- How do Brunei and Laos rank globally for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Brunei ranks 5th and Laos ranks 6th of 173 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Armed forces personnel as a share of total population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if their training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.