Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Laos
Laos: Armed forces personnel, total, per capita was 0.0176 units per person in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Laos, 1985–2020
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per person.
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Laos stood at 0.0176 units per person.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 13.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Laos peaked at 0.0278 units per person in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.0079 units per person, in 1993.
That places Laos 6th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Laos, year by year
| Year | units per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.0144 units per person | — |
| 1989 | 0.0134 units per person | -6.9% |
| 1990 | 0.0128 units per person | -4.5% |
| 1991 | 0.012 units per person | -6.3% |
| 1992 | 0.0081 units per person | -32.1% |
| 1993 | 0.0079 units per person | -2.7% |
| 1994 | 0.0094 units per person | +18.5% |
| 1995 | 0.0278 units per person | +197.0% |
| 1996 | 0.0272 units per person | -2.3% |
| 1997 | 0.025 units per person | -7.8% |
| 1998 | 0.0246 units per person | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 0.0242 units per person | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 0.0238 units per person | -1.7% |
| 2001 | 0.0234 units per person | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 0.023 units per person | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 0.0227 units per person | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 0.0223 units per person | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 0.022 units per person | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 0.0216 units per person | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 0.0213 units per person | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 0.021 units per person | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 0.0207 units per person | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 0.0204 units per person | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 0.0201 units per person | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 0.0198 units per person | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 0.0195 units per person | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 0.0193 units per person | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 0.019 units per person | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 0.0187 units per person | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 0.0184 units per person | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 0.0181 units per person | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 0.0178 units per person | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 0.0176 units per person | -1.5% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 0.0176 units per person is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.0022 units per person, 8.0× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Laos's 0.0176 units per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.0048 units per person, 3.6× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Laos changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +197.0% | 0.0094 units per person | 0.0278 units per person |
| 1992 | -32.1% | 0.012 units per person | 0.0081 units per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.0139 units per person | 0.0134 units per person | 0.0144 units per person | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.0179 units per person | 0.0079 units per person | 0.0278 units per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0222 units per person | 0.0207 units per person | 0.0238 units per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0191 units per person | 0.0178 units per person | 0.0204 units per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0176 units per person | 0.0176 units per person | 0.0176 units per person | 1 |
Countries ranked near Laos
More public sector data for Laos
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 7.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.9009 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0004 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 133.33 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Laos?
- Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Laos was 0.0176 units per person in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, per capita recorded in Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0278 units per person in 1995.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, per capita recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0079 units per person in 1993.
- How does Laos rank for armed forces personnel, total, per capita?
- Laos ranks 6th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total, per capita rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Laos data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Armed forces personnel, total, per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Armed forces personnel, total divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Armed forces personnel, total ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- Armed forces personnel, total The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Armed forces personnel, total divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.