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NATIONAL FORCES · COMPARISON
Brunei vs Laos
| Overview | Brunei | Laos |
|---|---|---|
Active personnel DefinitionFull-time active military personnel; exclude reserves and paramilitary unless explicitly identified. | 7,200Estimate · people · November 2025 IISS assessmentSingle sourceNational full-time active military personnel; the separately reported reserve, gendarmerie and paramilitary totals are excluded. | 29,100Estimate · people · November 2025 IISS assessmentSingle sourceNational full-time active military personnel; the separately reported reserve, gendarmerie and paramilitary totals are excluded. |
Armed forces personnel DefinitionActive-duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces whose training, organisation, equipment and control allow them to support or replace regular forces. This is not an active-regular-only count. | 8,000people · 2020 annual observationSingle source2020 annual observation. Active-duty military personnel, including qualifying paramilitary forces; not an active-regular-only count. | 129,000people · 2020 annual observationSingle source2020 annual observation. Active-duty military personnel, including qualifying paramilitary forces; not an active-regular-only count. |
Defence spending DefinitionAnnual military expenditure in current US dollars. State fiscal year, coverage and conversion basis in notes. | US$540mEstimate · USD · 2026 IISS defence budget forecast (November 2025 assessment)Single sourceSource-reported annual official defence budget/appropriation in current US dollars; it is a budget figure, not an assertion of final expenditure or readiness. Explicit 2026 economic-table year column; USD 540m. The table was compiled in the November 2025 IISS assessment; this annual figure is an assessment/estimate and does not assert a final audited outturn. The explicit 2026 column is forward-looking relative to the November 2025 assessment and is retained as a forecast, not an observed final outturn. | US$22.68mUSD · 2013 annual observationSingle source2013 annual observation. Annual military expenditure, current US dollars at the year's exchange rate; not procurement orders. |
GDP DefinitionAnnual nominal GDP in current US dollars, not purchasing-power parity. | US$16.5bnEstimate · USD · 2026 IISS nominal GDP forecast (November 2025 assessment)Single sourceAnnual nominal GDP at current market prices, in source-reported current US dollars. Excludes purchasing-power-parity GDP and real GDP growth. Explicit 2026 economic-table year column; USD 16.5bn. The table was compiled in the November 2025 IISS assessment; this annual figure is an assessment/estimate and does not assert a final audited outturn. The explicit 2026 column is forward-looking relative to the November 2025 assessment and is retained as a forecast, not an observed final outturn. | US$17.8bnEstimate · USD · 2026 IISS nominal GDP forecast (November 2025 assessment)Single sourceAnnual nominal GDP at current market prices, in source-reported current US dollars. Excludes purchasing-power-parity GDP and real GDP growth. Explicit 2026 economic-table year column; USD 17.8bn. The table was compiled in the November 2025 IISS assessment; this annual figure is an assessment/estimate and does not assert a final audited outturn. The explicit 2026 column is forward-looking relative to the November 2025 assessment and is retained as a forecast, not an observed final outturn. |
Population DefinitionTotal resident population; retain the source's reference year. | 466,330people · 2025 annual observationSingle source2025 annual observation. Midyear resident population estimate. | 7,873,046people · 2025 annual observationSingle source2025 annual observation. Midyear resident population estimate. |
Reserve personnel DefinitionReported reserve personnel, with mobilisation and training definitions stated in notes. | 700Estimate · people · November 2025 IISS assessmentSingle sourceNational military reserve pool; excludes the separately reported active and paramilitary personnel. Training/mobilisation definitions remain source-specific. | 0Estimate · people · 2024 source edition; census date not statedSingle sourceMilitary reserve personnel in the 2024 IISS source edition cited by this Wikipedia row. Reservists are not normally kept under arms and are available for mobilisation. Excludes the separately reported Active military and Paramilitary columns. This is the cited edition year, not an exact census date. |
Combat aircraft DefinitionIn-service fixed-wing combat aircraft; exclude stored, retired and ordered aircraft. In service does not establish readiness. | —Not yet documented | —Not yet documented |
Main battle tanks DefinitionIn-service main battle tanks; exclude storage and orders. | —Not yet documented | —Not yet documented |
Major surface combatants DefinitionCommissioned cruisers, destroyers and frigates. Exclude patrol craft and support vessels. | —Not yet documented | —Not yet documented |
Nuclear warheads DefinitionWarheads in the military stockpile, deployed or in reserve; exclude retired warheads awaiting dismantlement. Independent estimates, labelled as such. | —Not yet documented | —Not yet documented |
Submarines DefinitionCommissioned submarines; exclude vessels on order and decommissioned vessels. | —Not yet documented | —Not yet documented |
Transport aircraft DefinitionIn-service dedicated fixed-wing military transport aircraft; exclude trainers and orders. | —Not yet documented | —Not yet documented |
EQUIPMENT & WEAPONS
Equipment listed in inventory and operator sources, grouped by force and category. Sourced quantities retain their date, variant coverage and inventory status. Equipment without a documented count is listed by type.
170 matching equipment types
| Equipment | Brunei | Laos |
|---|---|---|
| Support aircraft | ||
| Antonov An-26 | — | 1Air Force · 2025 1Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force · 2025Wikipedia |
| C295 | 2Air Force · 2025 4Royal Brunei Air Force · 2026Wikipedia | — |
| CASA/IPTN CN-235 | 12023Wikipedia | — |
| Douglas C-47 Skytrain | — | In service |
| Xi'an MA60 | — | 2Air Force · 2025 2Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force · 2025 |
| Xi'an MA600 | — | 2Air Force · 2025 2Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force · 2025 |
| Trainer aircraft | ||
| Hongdu JL-8 | — | 4Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force · 2025Wikipedia |
| Pilatus PC-7 | 42024 | — |
| Yakovlev Yak-130 | — | 42024 |
| Helicopters | ||
| Bell 206 | 22024 | — |
| Bell 214 | 1Air Force · 2025 1Royal Brunei Air Force · 2025 | — |
| Bell 214ST | 1Royal Brunei Air Force · 2023Wikipedia | — |
| Equipment | Brunei | Laos |
|---|---|---|
| Tanks | ||
| FV101 Scorpion | 20Army · 2025 | — |
| PT-76 | — | 10Army · 2025 |
| T-54/T-55 | — | 15Army · 2025 |
| T-72 | — | 502020Wikipedia |
| Armoured vehicles | ||
| Alvis Saracen | In service | — |
| BMP-1 | — | ≥10Army · 2025 |
| BRDM-2 | — | 202019Wikipedia |
| BTR-152 | — | 20Army · 2025 |
| BTR-40 | — | 102000Wikipedia |
| BTR-60 | — | 702000Wikipedia |
| Cadillac Gage Commando | — | In service |
| FV105 Sultan | 21991Wikipedia | — |
| Equipment | Brunei | Laos |
|---|---|---|
| Air defence | ||
| 9K35 Strela-10 | — | In service |
| Mistral (missile) | In service | — |
| S-125 Neva/Pechora | — | In service |
| ZSU-23-4 Shilka | — | In service |
| Anti-aircraft guns | ||
| 37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K) | — | In service |
| AZP S-60 | — | In service |
| ZPU | — | In service |
| ZU-23-2 | — | In service |
| Portable air defence | ||
| 9K32 Strela-2 | — | In service |
| Cruise & anti-ship missiles | ||
| Exocet | In service | — |
| Missiles | ||
| SS.12/AS.12 | In service | — |
| Equipment | Brunei | Laos |
|---|---|---|
| Small arms | ||
| 9A-91 | — | In service |
| Accuracy International Arctic Warfare | In service | — |
| AK-12 | — | In service |
| AK-47 | — | In service |
| AK-74 | — | In service |
| AKM | — | In service |
| AMD-65 | — | In service |
| Browning Hi-Power | In service | — |
| Bushmaster M4-type Carbine | In service | — |
| Degtyaryov machine gun | — | In service |
| DShK | — | In service |
| FN MAG | In service | — |
Coverage is incomplete. “Not documented” means no linked inventory evidence, not zero equipment. Methodology ↗
Points represent sourced observations, including revisions. Revisions on the same effective date are not separate inventory events. Ranges appear in the table and are not plotted as exact points.
| Observation / report period | Value | Source | Claim state |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 2025 IISS population assessment | 498,766 people | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | superseded |
No shared land boundary is represented in the Natural Earth dataset. Approximate separation between the dataset’s country label points: 2,100 km.
Generalized geography from Natural Earth 1:110m, version 5.1.1. Label-point distance is calculated on a sphere and rounded to the nearest 100 km; it is not a capital-to-capital distance, route, border distance or operational range. Dataset boundaries do not imply recognition of territorial claims.
Boundaries: Natural Earth 1:110m, v5.1.1 · Public domain · Research catalogue highlighted
Scores out of 100 on the ForceTally Index. Each bar splits in proportion to the two scores. A point at the centre of the chart means no sourced figure for that part.
Points represent sourced observations, including revisions. Revisions on the same effective date are not separate inventory events. Ranges appear in the table and are not plotted as exact points.
| Observation / report period | Value | Source | Claim state |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 2025 IISS population assessment | 8,052,913 people | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | superseded |