Laos Military Power Ranking 2025
MPR Rank: 108th
MPR SCORE: 261
MPR Index: 0.0753 (1.0000 is perfect)
Reverse MPR Index: 0.8763 (0.0000 is perfect)
Z Score: -0.497 (standard deviations above the mean)
Overview
Laos ranks 108th globally in the 2025 Military Power Rankings. Its armed forces, known as the Lao People’s Armed Forces (LPAF), are structured primarily for internal stability, border protection, and territorial integrity. As a landlocked, mountainous nation with longstanding political and military ties to Vietnam and China, Laos maintains a modest, conventionally oriented defense force with limited modernization and no strategic projection capability.
The LPAF operates under a single-party political system and is closely aligned with the ruling Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, serving both as a defense body and a state security institution. While it lacks advanced military hardware or offensive capacity, the LPAF is tasked with civic duties, infrastructure support, and natural disaster response, particularly in rural regions. Regional assistance from Vietnam, China, and Russia continues to provide training, arms, and political backing, ensuring the LPAF’s functional sustainability despite resource limitations.
Strengths
1. Internal Security and Regime Protection
The LPAF is deeply integrated with the political structure of the state, ensuring domestic stability and rapid response to internal dissent, illegal logging, and cross-border smuggling, especially in northern and eastern provinces.
2. Strong Bilateral Support from Vietnam and China
Laos receives consistent military aid, training programs, and logistical support from both Vietnam and China, including officer exchanges, donated vehicles, and base construction assistance, sustaining basic readiness and technical maintenance.
3. Terrain-Focused Infantry Capability
The LPAF is trained for operations in mountainous and forested environments, suitable for guerrilla warfare, jungle patrols, and rural border defense, rooted in the country’s historical experience during the Indochina Wars.
Why Laos Is Still Ranked 108th
1. Outdated Equipment and Minimal Modernization
Much of the LPAF’s inventory consists of Soviet-era small arms, light artillery, and Vietnam War–era transport systems, with limited progress in acquiring modern tanks, C4ISR, or air defense platforms.
2. No Air Force or Naval Power
Laos operates a very limited air wing, composed mainly of trainer aircraft and transport helicopters, and has no navy due to its landlocked geography. This absence limits air mobility, aerial surveillance, and any regional deterrence posture.
3. Low Defense Budget and Industrial Capacity
With a small economy and no domestic defense industry, Laos is unable to sustain large-scale procurement or force modernization. The military depends on foreign donations, and defense spending remains among the lowest in Southeast Asia as a percentage of GDP.
Conclusion
Laos maintains a small, loyal, and terrain-focused military that plays a vital role in internal security, civic support, and border protection. While the LPAF lacks modernization, airpower, or regional influence, it remains structurally effective within its narrow mandate of territorial defense and regime stability. Its low global ranking reflects limitations in scale, equipment, and strategic autonomy, rather than operational collapse. Continued reliance on Vietnamese and Chinese support ensures a minimum threshold of readiness in a region of increasing geopolitical competition.
Military Strength and Force Projection
Active Military Personnel: 30,000 (IISS 2023)
Reserve Personnel: 20,000 (CIA World Factbook)
Paramilitary Forces: 10,000 (National Guard)
Army Personnel: 25,000
Navy Personnel: 0 (landlocked)
Air Force Personnel: 5,000
Ground Forces
Main Battle Tanks (MBTs): 50+ (older Soviet and Chinese models)
Armored Fighting Vehicles (AFVs): 100+
Artillery (Towed and Self-Propelled): 150+
Air Force
Combat Aircraft: 5+ (SIPRI 2023)
Helicopters: 10+
Transport Aircraft: 5+
Aircraft Breakdown:
MiG-21: 3 (older combat aircraft)
Mi-17 Helicopters: 5 (utility and transport helicopters)
Naval Forces
As a landlocked nation, Laos does not have a navy and does not maintain naval capabilities. Its security concerns are focused on its borders and airspace.
Missile Capabilities
Laos does not possess advanced missile systems, ballistic missiles, or significant air defense capabilities. Its military is limited to conventional defense operations with no notable missile inventory.
Strategic Partnerships
Laos has strong military ties with Vietnam and China, both of which provide equipment, training, and logistical support. These partnerships are critical to Laos' military development, though the country does not maintain extensive international defense agreements beyond its regional ties.
Military History & Combat Experience
Laos’s military history is dominated by its role in the Indochina Wars, revolutionary struggle, and its transformation into a single-party defense structure. While it has not participated in foreign wars since the 1980s, its legacy remains rooted in guerrilla resistance and allied support operations.
First Indochina War and the Pathet Lao (1946–1954):
Laotian communist forces, the Pathet Lao, aligned with North Vietnam, fought against French colonial troops in a parallel campaign to the Vietnamese independence movement. This marked the birth of the modern Lao revolutionary military structure.Laotian Civil War / Vietnam War Theater (1959–1975):
The LPAF evolved during the Cold War as part of a wider conflict involving the U.S.-backed Royal Lao Army and Pathet Lao communist insurgents, heavily influenced by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA). The country was one of the most heavily bombed during the Vietnam War, and the LPAF gained experience in underground warfare, supply-line defense, and jungle insurgency.Post-1975 Consolidation and Regime Security (1975–1990s):
Following the communist victory, the LPAF shifted to an internal focus, suppressing residual royalist and Hmong resistance movements, often in remote mountainous zones. It functioned as a political and military enforcement wing of the new Marxist state.Border Security and Regional Training Engagements (2000s–present):
Laos has avoided foreign combat but continues to host and participate in bilateral training missions with Vietnam, China, and Russia, focusing on border surveillance, narcotics interdiction, and jungle patrol exercises.
Though the LPAF has limited current combat activity, its historical combat roots, jungle warfare familiarity, and role as a political-military hybrid force remain central to its identity. It stands as a symbol of post-revolutionary stability, operating quietly and steadily within one of Asia’s most underreported defense environments.
General Information
Demographics and Geography
Population: ~7.8 million (2024 est.)
Population Available for Military Service: ~2.6 million
Geographic Area: 236,800 km²
Land Boundaries: 5,274 km
Bordering Countries: Cambodia, China, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Climate: Tropical monsoon; rainy May–November, dry December–April
Terrain: Mostly rugged mountains with some plains and plateaus
Natural Resources: Timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
Proven Oil Reserves: None
Proven Natural Gas Reserves: None
Economic Indicators
Defense Budget (2025): ~$160 million USD
Defense Budget as % of GDP: ~1.8%
GDP (PPP): ~$45 billion USD
GDP per Capita (PPP): ~$5,800
External Debt: ~$16 billion USD
Military Expenditure Trend (last 5 years): Stable; focused on internal control and regime security
Military Infrastructure and Readiness
Military Service Obligation: Mandatory for men (12–18 months)
Primary Defense Focus: Internal security, border surveillance
Military Industry Base: Minimal; relies on imports
Cyber/Electronic Warfare Capability: Limited
Nuclear Warhead Inventory: None (non-nuclear state)
Major Military Districts / Commands: Divided under Lao People’s Armed Forces regional zones
Missile Inventory Highlights: Light artillery, mortars, MANPADS
Reservist Call-up Readiness / Timeline: Moderate; 45–60 days
Reservist Force Size: ~30,000
Space, Intelligence, and Strategic Infrastructure
Space or Satellite Programs: Laosat-1 (communications, with China)
Military Satellite Inventory: None
Intelligence Infrastructure: State Security Department, Military Intelligence Bureau
Intelligence Sharing Partnerships: China, Vietnam
Airports (Total): ~52
Major Military Airports: Vientiane, Luang Prabang
Naval Power and Maritime Logistics
Merchant Marine Fleet: ~10 vessels
Major Ports: None (landlocked)
Naval Infrastructure: Not applicable
Naval Replenishment Capability: Not applicable
Domestic Mobility and Infrastructure
Railway Network: ~400 km (Chinese-built)
Roadways: ~40,000 km
Energy and Fuel Logistics
Oil Production: None
Energy Imports: High reliance on imported fuel
Strategic Petroleum Reserves: Minimal
Defense Production and Strategic Forces
Domestic Defense Production: Ammunition assembly, vehicle repair
Military Installations (Domestic): Vientiane, Savannakhet, Pakse
Military Installations (Overseas): None
Foreign Military Personnel Presence: Chinese technical advisors
Defense Alliances: Bilateral ties with Vietnam, China
Strategic Airlift Capability: Y-12, small utility aircraft
Wartime Industrial Surge Capacity: Very low
Research and Industry Support
Defense R&D Investment: Minimal
Key Wartime Industries Beyond Defense: Hydropower, basic state construction units
Political and Administrative Structure
Capital: Vientiane
Founding Date: December 2, 1975 (proclamation of Lao People’s Democratic Republic)
System of Government: Unitary Marxist–Leninist one-party state
