Military personnel in Laos
Laos: Military personnel was 29,000 people in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
29,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
81st
of 194 countries
All-time high
93,000 people
in 1966
All-time low
25,000 people
in 1953
Years of data
70
1953–2022
Military personnel in Laos, 1953–2022
Source: Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military personnel in Laos is 29,000 people, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel in Laos peaked at 93,000 people in 1966 and was at its lowest, 25,000 people, in 1953.
That places Laos 81st out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 70 years of available data.
Military personnel in Laos, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 25,000 people | — |
| 1954 | 25,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 25,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 25,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 25,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 25,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 29,000 people | +16.0% |
| 1960 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 55,000 people | +89.7% |
| 1962 | 60,000 people | +9.1% |
| 1963 | 83,000 people | +38.3% |
| 1964 | 91,000 people | +9.6% |
| 1965 | 86,000 people | -5.5% |
| 1966 | 93,000 people | +8.1% |
| 1967 | 62,000 people | -33.3% |
| 1968 | 62,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 59,000 people | -4.8% |
| 1970 | 62,000 people | +5.1% |
| 1971 | 72,000 people | +16.1% |
| 1972 | 79,000 people | +9.7% |
| 1973 | 71,000 people | -10.1% |
| 1974 | 60,000 people | -15.5% |
| 1975 | 46,000 people | -23.3% |
| 1976 | 46,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 45,000 people | -2.2% |
| 1978 | 47,000 people | +4.4% |
| 1979 | 46,000 people | -2.1% |
| 1980 | 55,000 people | +19.6% |
| 1981 | 46,000 people | -16.4% |
| 1982 | 46,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 49,000 people | +6.5% |
| 1984 | 54,000 people | +10.2% |
| 1985 | 54,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 56,000 people | +3.7% |
| 1987 | 56,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 56,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 56,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 55,000 people | -1.8% |
| 1991 | 53,000 people | -3.6% |
| 1992 | 37,000 people | -30.2% |
| 1993 | 37,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 45,000 people | +21.6% |
| 1995 | 50,000 people | +11.1% |
| 1996 | 50,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 50,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 50,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 50,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 29,000 people | -42.0% |
| 2001 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 29,000 people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 15,500 people, 1.9× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Laos's 29,000 people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9,500 people, 3.1× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 25,571 people | 25,000 people | 29,000 people | 7 |
| 1960s | 68,000 people | 29,000 people | 93,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 57,400 people | 45,000 people | 79,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 52,800 people | 46,000 people | 56,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 47,700 people | 37,000 people | 55,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 29,000 people | 29,000 people | 29,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 29,000 people | 29,000 people | 29,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 29,000 people | 29,000 people | 29,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Laos
More reference data data for Laos
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6615 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.913 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3021 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 12.95 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.64 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel in Laos?
- Military personnel in Laos was 29,000 people in 2022, according to Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military personnel recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 93,000 people in 1966.
- What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 25,000 people in 1953.
- How does Laos rank for military personnel?
- Laos ranks 81st out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 70 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Troops under the command of the national government, intended for use against foreign adversaries, and held ready for combat as of January 1 of the given year.