North Korea vs Laos: Military spending per military personnel
North Korea
1,224 constant 2022 US$
in 2018
Laos
912.27 constant 2022 US$
in 2016
North Korea rank
167th
Laos rank
168th
Military spending per military personnel over time
- North Korea
- Laos
How they compare
North Korea currently reports 1,224 constant 2022 US$ against 912.27 constant 2022 US$ in Laos, a difference of 311.73 constant 2022 US$.
That makes North Korea's figure about 1.3 times Laos's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 63 shared years of data; in 1954 it was North Korea ahead.
North Korea ranks 167th and Laos ranks 168th of 170 countries.
North Korea has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | North Korea | Laos | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 4,339 constant 2022 US$ | 68.99 constant 2022 US$ | 4,270 constant 2022 US$ | North Korea |
| 1960s | 6,612 constant 2022 US$ | 2,425 constant 2022 US$ | 4,187 constant 2022 US$ | North Korea |
| 1970s | 7,921 constant 2022 US$ | 1,938 constant 2022 US$ | 5,982 constant 2022 US$ | North Korea |
| 1980s | 9,559 constant 2022 US$ | 1,912 constant 2022 US$ | 7,647 constant 2022 US$ | North Korea |
| 1990s | 6,730 constant 2022 US$ | 2,906 constant 2022 US$ | 3,824 constant 2022 US$ | North Korea |
| 2000s | 4,559 constant 2022 US$ | 700.26 constant 2022 US$ | 3,859 constant 2022 US$ | North Korea |
| 2010s | 1,580 constant 2022 US$ | 831.57 constant 2022 US$ | 748.45 constant 2022 US$ | North Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending per military personnel, North Korea or Laos?
- North Korea, at 1,224 constant 2022 US$ against 912.27 constant 2022 US$ in Laos as of 2018.
- What is the difference in military spending per military personnel between North Korea and Laos?
- 311.73 constant 2022 US$, with North Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for North Korea and Laos?
- 63 years are reported by both, from 1954 to 2016.
- How do North Korea and Laos rank globally for military spending per military personnel?
- North Korea ranks 167th and Laos ranks 168th of 170 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025); Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Military spending per military personnel. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
This data is expressed in US dollars. It is adjusted for inflation but does not account for differences in the cost of living between countries.