What is the difference in military expenditure between Laos and Thailand?

18.49 billion current LCU, with Thailand ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Laos and Thailand?

29 years are reported by both, from 1967 to 2013.

Where does this data come from?

SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as Military expenditure (current LCU). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Laos vs Thailand: Military expenditure (current LCU)

Laos

178.25 billion current LCU

in 2013

Thailand

196.74 billion current LCU

in 2025

Laos rank

58th

Thailand rank

56th

Military expenditure (current LCU) over time

Laos
Thailand

How they compare

Thailand currently reports 196.74 billion current LCU against 178.25 billion current LCU in Laos, a difference of 18.49 billion current LCU.

That makes Thailand's figure about 1.1 times Laos's.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 29 shared years of data; in 1967 it was Laos ahead.

Laos ranks 58th and Thailand ranks 56th of 168 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Laos averaged higher in 3 and Thailand in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Laos	Thailand	Difference	Ahead
1960s	8.57 billion current LCU	3.23 billion current LCU	5.34 billion current LCU	Laos
1970s	10.39 billion current LCU	5.57 billion current LCU	4.82 billion current LCU	Laos
1990s	86.64 billion current LCU	88.64 billion current LCU	2.00 billion current LCU	Thailand
2000s	124.14 billion current LCU	90.26 billion current LCU	33.88 billion current LCU	Laos
2010s	155.12 billion current LCU	165.15 billion current LCU	10.03 billion current LCU	Thailand

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher military expenditure, Laos or Thailand?: Thailand, at 196.74 billion current LCU against 178.25 billion current LCU in Laos as of 2025.
What is the difference in military expenditure between Laos and Thailand?: 18.49 billion current LCU, with Thailand ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Laos and Thailand?: 29 years are reported by both, from 1967 to 2013.
How do Laos and Thailand rank globally for military expenditure?: Laos ranks 58th and Thailand ranks 56th of 168 countries.
Where does this data come from?: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as Military expenditure (current LCU). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Laos vs Thailand: Military expenditure. Statizoid, drawing on SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Retrieved 08 November 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/compare/military-expenditure-current-lcu/lao-pdr/thailand/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://public-sector.statizoid.com/compare/military-expenditure-current-lcu/lao-pdr/thailand/">Laos vs Thailand: Military expenditure</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: Military expenditure (current LCU)
Unit: current LCU
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 168 places, 8,396 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed: 29 October 2026

Military expenditure in local currency at current prices (by calendar year)