Laos vs Sri Lanka: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population
Laos
1.8%
in 2020
Sri Lanka
1.4%
in 2020
Laos rank
6th
Sri Lanka rank
9th
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population over time
- Laos
- Sri Lanka
How they compare
Laos currently reports 1.8% against 1.4% in Sri Lanka, a difference of 0.4%.
That makes Laos's figure about 1.2 times Sri Lanka's.
Across all 33 years both countries report, Laos has been ahead every year.
Laos ranks 6th and Sri Lanka ranks 9th of 173 countries.
Laos has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Laos | Sri Lanka | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.4% | 0.1% | 1.2% | Laos |
| 1990s | 1.8% | 0.9% | 0.9% | Laos |
| 2000s | 2.2% | 1.1% | 1.1% | Laos |
| 2010s | 1.9% | 1.2% | 0.7% | Laos |
| 2020s | 1.8% | 1.4% | 0.4% | Laos |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher armed forces personnel as a share of total population, Laos or Sri Lanka?
- Laos, at 1.8% against 1.4% in Sri Lanka as of 2020.
- What is the difference in armed forces personnel as a share of total population between Laos and Sri Lanka?
- 0.4%, with Laos ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Laos and Sri Lanka?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
- How do Laos and Sri Lanka rank globally for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Laos ranks 6th and Sri Lanka ranks 9th 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.