Laos vs Thailand
Laos vs Thailand: Military share of state spending
Military share of state spending: 0.8% of government spending in Laos in 2013 and 4.4% of government spending in Thailand in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2013 the value was higher in Thailand, by 5.3 percentage points, or 7.82 times that in Laos.
% of government spending · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Thailand has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2000.
Every year
% of government spending · SIPRI
| Year | Laos | Thailand |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | – | 4.4 |
| 2024 | – | 4.7 |
| 2023 | – | 4.9 |
| 2022 | – | 5 |
| 2021 | – | 5.3 |
| 2020 | – | 5.8 |
| 2019 | – | 6.4 |
| 2018 | – | 6.3 |
| 2017 | – | 6.4 |
| 2016 | – | 6.4 |
| 2015 | – | 6.1 |
| 2014 | – | 6.2 |
| 2013 | 0.8 | 6.1 |
| 2012 | 0.8 | 6.4 |
| 2011 | 1.1 | 6.5 |
| 2010 | 0.9 | 7 |
| 2009 | 1.1 | 7.3 |
| 2008 | 1.7 | 6.5 |
| 2007 | 2.1 | 5.2 |
| 2006 | 2.3 | 5.2 |
| 2005 | 2.6 | 5.1 |
| 2004 | 3.2 | 6 |
| 2003 | 3.1 | 6.9 |
| 2002 | 3.5 | 5.6 |
| 2001 | 3.6 | 7.2 |
| 2000 | 3.8 | 8 |
| 1999 | – | 6.4 |
| 1998 | – | 7.8 |
| 1997 | – | 10.1 |
| 1996 | – | 12.3 |
| 1995 | – | 13.7 |
- Estimate
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The part of everything the government spends that goes on its armed forces and defence, by SIPRI’s count.
- Source: Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Military Expenditure Database, https://doi.org/10.55163/CQGC9685.
- Marked points are SIPRI’s own: a dot where it gives the figure as its estimate, a ring where it calls the figure highly uncertain.
- Ranks count the 150 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Laos vs Thailand
Health
- Life expectancyLaos: 69 years in 2023Thailand: 76.4 years in 2023
- Child mortalityLaos: 2.9 per 100 live births in 2024Thailand: 0.9 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityLaos: 31.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023Thailand: 6.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionLaos: 2.91% in 2017Thailand: 3.09% in 2017
- Suicide rateLaos: 8.4 per 100,000 people in 2017Thailand: 10.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationLaos: 7.67 million people in 2023Thailand: 71.7 million people in 2023
- Population growthLaos: 1.38% a year in 2023Thailand: -0.04% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateLaos: 2.42 births per woman in 2023Thailand: 1.21 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationLaos: 40.3% in 2025Thailand: 62.8% in 2025
- Median ageLaos: 24.3 years in 2023Thailand: 39.7 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overLaos: 4.5% in 2023Thailand: 14.7% in 2023
- Net migration rateLaos: -1.3 per 1,000 people in 2023Thailand: 0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingLaos: 0.19% of GDP in 2013Thailand: 1.04% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsLaos: $21.8M in 2013Thailand: $5.57B in 2025
- Military spending per personLaos: $3 in 2013Thailand: $84 in 2025
- Armed forces personnelLaos: 129,000 people in 2020Thailand: 455,000 people in 2020
- National powerLaos: 0.06% of world capability in 2022Thailand: 0.79% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersLaos: 4.08% of the labour force in 2020Thailand: 1.13% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsLaos: 7 million TIV in 2024Thailand: 33 million TIV in 2025