Armed forces, personnel, equipment, deployments: the complete military file on Laos.
| Active personnel (est.) | 100,000 |
|---|---|
| World rank by personnel | #49 / 162 |
POWER 44.85/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — five dimensions, 100+ indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
A quiet quarter: no major shocks, no breakthroughs. The country's trajectory is set by structural forces larger than any single season.
The honest reading is steadiness — neither crisis nor windfall — with the long currents of demography, trade and institutions deciding more than any three months.
Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF; aka Lao People's Army): Lao People's Army (LPA, includes Riverine Force), Lao People's Air Force (LPAF); Self-Defense Militia Forces (2025)
information limited and varied; estimated 30,000 active Armed Forces; estimated 100,000 Self-Defense Militia Forces (2025)
the LPAF is armed with Chinese, Russian, and Soviet-era equipment and weapons (2025)
18 years of age for voluntary military service; mandatory military service for men 18-35 with a minimum 18-month service obligation (2025)
the LPAF’s primary missions are border and internal security, including counterinsurgency, counterterrorism, and counter-narcotics operations, as well as protecting the regime; its defense partners include Cambodia, China, Russia, and Vietnam (2025)
