Military spending as a share of GDP in Lao People's Democratic Republic
Lao People's Democratic Republic: Military spending as a share of GDP was 0.2% in 2016. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2016)
0.2%
Change on year
down 7.7%
World rank
169th
of 172 countries
All-time high
17.1%
in 1963
All-time low
0.1%
in 1959
Years of data
63
1954–2016
Military spending as a share of GDP in Lao People's Democratic Republic, 1954–2016
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military spending as a share of gdp in Lao People's Democratic Republic is 0.2%, measured in 2016.
The figure is down 7.7% on the previous year and down 30.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Lao People's Democratic Republic peaked at 17.1% in 1963 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1959.
Lao People's Democratic Republic ranks 169th of 172 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Lao People's Democratic Republic, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1954 | 0.7% | — |
| 1955 | 0.1% | -84.5% |
| 1956 | 0.1% | -3.6% |
| 1957 | 0.1% | -12.0% |
| 1958 | 0.1% | -18.6% |
| 1959 | 0.1% | -7.0% |
| 1960 | 13.8% | +19681.0% |
| 1961 | 6.2% | -55.1% |
| 1962 | 13.0% | +109.3% |
| 1963 | 17.1% | +31.7% |
| 1964 | 11.8% | -31.3% |
| 1965 | 17.1% | +45.2% |
| 1966 | 16.3% | -4.3% |
| 1967 | 14.9% | -8.6% |
| 1968 | 13.2% | -11.6% |
| 1969 | 11.7% | -11.6% |
| 1970 | 11.0% | -5.3% |
| 1971 | 9.3% | -15.7% |
| 1972 | 7.0% | -24.6% |
| 1973 | 6.0% | -15.0% |
| 1974 | 5.3% | -11.6% |
| 1975 | 4.7% | -11.7% |
| 1976 | 6.0% | +27.8% |
| 1977 | 8.6% | +44.8% |
| 1978 | 6.9% | -19.7% |
| 1979 | 6.2% | -10.2% |
| 1980 | 4.6% | -26.7% |
| 1981 | 4.1% | -9.5% |
| 1982 | 4.5% | +9.9% |
| 1983 | 4.6% | +2.0% |
| 1984 | 4.9% | +5.8% |
| 1985 | 4.7% | -4.8% |
| 1986 | 4.4% | -6.6% |
| 1987 | 4.1% | -6.1% |
| 1988 | 3.7% | -9.4% |
| 1989 | 3.1% | -15.1% |
| 1990 | 4.8% | +53.8% |
| 1991 | 5.3% | +9.2% |
| 1992 | 6.0% | +14.3% |
| 1993 | 5.3% | -12.1% |
| 1994 | 4.4% | -17.1% |
| 1995 | 3.6% | -18.2% |
| 1996 | 2.9% | -18.1% |
| 1997 | 2.4% | -19.1% |
| 1998 | 1.2% | -47.7% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | -45.9% |
| 2000 | 0.5% | -19.7% |
| 2001 | 0.4% | -19.7% |
| 2002 | 0.4% | -17.8% |
| 2003 | 0.4% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 0.3% | -15.2% |
| 2005 | 0.3% | -15.2% |
| 2006 | 0.2% | -3.3% |
| 2007 | 0.2% | -4.3% |
| 2008 | 0.2% | -3.3% |
| 2009 | 0.2% | -15.9% |
| 2010 | 0.2% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 0.2% | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 0.2% | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 0.2% | -4.4% |
| 2014 | 0.2% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 0.2% | -3.6% |
| 2016 | 0.2% | -7.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.7% | 6 |
| 1960s | 13.5% | 6.2% | 17.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.1% | 4.7% | 11.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.3% | 3.1% | 4.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.7% | 0.7% | 6.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Lao People's Democratic Republic
More economy & growth data for Lao People's Democratic Republic
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.39 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4.6 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 1.84 million constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 11.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.2917 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 678.12 current US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), annual 12.91 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 5,963 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 13.86 million current LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 4.83 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Lao People's Democratic Republic was 0.2% in 2016, according to Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
- The highest recorded value was 17.1% in 1963.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1959.
- How does Lao People's Democratic Republic rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Lao People's Democratic Republic ranks 169th out of 172 countries with data for 2016.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lao People's Democratic Republic data come from?
- The figures come from Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Military spending measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).