There are a number of ways to gauge an individual military’s assets and capabilities, but making head-to-head comparisons is a bit tougher.
US Marines with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit fire an M777 Howitzer during a fire mission in northern Syria as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, March 24, 2017. (Photo By: Lance Cpl. Zachery Laning)
President Donald Trump has emphasized military might during his first year in office, but the US is not the only country seeking to expand its battlefield capacities. Between 2012 and 2016, more weapons were delivered than during any five-year period since 1990.
Arms sales indicate who is beefing up their armed forces, but head-to-head military comparisons are harder to come by. Global Firepower’s 2017 Military Strength Ranking tries to fill that void by drawing on more than 50 factors to assign a Power Index score to 133 countries.
The ranking assesses the diversity of weapons held by each country and pays particular attention to the manpower available. The geography, logistical capacity, available natural resources, and the status of local industry are also taken into account.
Russian sailors at a farewell ceremony for nuclear-powered cruiser Peter the Great heading to military exercises at sea, in Severomorsk, Russia, March 30, 2010. (Lev Fedoseyev/Reuters)
While recognized nuclear powers receive a bonus, the nuclear stockpiles are not factored into the score.
Moreover, countries that are landlocked are not docked points for lacking a navy, though they are penalized for not having a merchant marine force.
Countries with navies are penalized if there is a lack of diversity in their naval assets.
NATO countries get a slight bonus because the alliance would theoretically share resources, but in general, a country’s current political and military leadership was not considered.
“Balance is the key — a large, strong fighting force across land, sea and air backed by a resilient economy and defensible territory along with an efficient infrastructure — such qualities are those used to round out a particular nation’s total fighting strength on paper,” the ranking states.
Below, you can see the 25 most powerful militaries in the world:
25. Algeria
Algerian soldiers at the Tiguentourine Gas Plant in In Amenas, 994 miles southeast of Algiers, January 31, 2013. (REUTERS/Louafi Larbi)
Power Index rating: 0.4366
Total population: 40,263,711
Total military personnel: 792,350
Total aircraft strength: 502
Fighter aircraft: 89
Combat tanks: 2,405
Total naval assets: 85
Defense budget: $10.6 billion
24. Saudi Arabia
Saudi troops stand attention at their base in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden September 28, 2015. (Reuters)
Power Index rating: 0.4302
Total population: 28,160,273
Total military personnel: 256,000
Total aircraft strength: 790
Fighter aircraft: 177
Combat tanks: 1,142
Total naval assets: 55
Defense budget: $56.7 billion
23. North Korea
23. North Korea (REUTERS/KCNA)
Power Index rating: 0.4218
Total population: 25,115,311
Total military personnel: 6,445,000
Total aircraft strength: 944
Fighter aircraft: 458
Combat tanks: 5,025
Total naval assets: 967
Defense budget: $7.5 billion
22. Australia
An Australian soldier with 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment makes his way up the beach after landing in amphibious assault vehicle from the USS Peleliu during an assault exercise at Marine Corps Base Hawaii as part of multinational military exercise RIMPAC, in Kaneohe, Hawaii, July 29, 2014 (Hugh Gentry/REUTERS)
Power Index rating: 0.4072
Total population: 22,992,654
Total military personnel: 81,000
Total aircraft strength: 465
Fighter aircraft: 78
Combat tanks: 59
Total naval assets: 47 (two aircraft carriers)
Defense budget: $24.1 billion
21. Iran
A soldier aboard Iranian Navy destroyer Shahid Naqdi at Port Sudan at the Red Sea State, October 31, 2012. (Reuters)
Power Index rating: 0.3933
Total population: 82,801,633
Total military personnel: 934,000
Total aircraft strength: 477
Fighter aircraft: 137
Combat tanks: 1,616
Total naval assets: 398
Defense budget: $6.3 billion
20. Thailand
Thai marines participate in an amphibious assault exercise as part of the Cobra Gold 2017 joint military exercise with the US at a military base in Chonburi province, Thailand, February 16, 2017. (REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha)
Power Index rating: 0.3892
Total population: 68,200,824
Total military personnel: 627,425
Total aircraft strength: 555
Fighter aircraft: 76
Combat tanks: 737
Total naval assets: 81 (one aircraft carrier)
Defense budget: $5.4 billion
19. Poland
Members of Poland’s 1st Mechanized Battalion of the 7th Coastal Defense Brigade take part in a military exercise with the US 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division near Drawsko-Pomorskie, November 13, 2014. (Kacper Pempel/Reuters)
Power Index rating: 0.3831
Total population: 38,523,261
Total military personnel: 184,650
Total aircraft strength: 465
Fighter aircraft: 99
Combat tanks: 1,065
Total naval assets: 83
Defense budget: $9.4 billion
18. Taiwan
Taiwanese submarines at a navy base in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, March 21, 2017. (Reuters)
Power Index rating: 0.3765
Total population: 23,464,787
Total military personnel: 1,932,500
Total aircraft strength: 850
Fighter aircraft: 286
Combat tanks: 2,005
Total naval assets: 87
Defense budget: $10.7 billion
17. Brazil
Brazilian navy personnel patrol in an armored vehicle during an operation against drug dealers in Mangueira slum in Rio de Janeiro, June 19, 2011. (REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes)
Power Index rating: 0.3654
Total population: 205,823,665
Total military personnel: 1,987,000
Total aircraft strength: 697
Fighter aircraft: 43
Combat tanks: 469
Total naval assets: 110
Defense budget: $24.5 billion
16. Vietnam
Vietnamese soldiers march in a parade marking the 70th National Day at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi, Vietnam, September 2, 2015. (REUTERS/Kham)
Power Index rating: 0.3587
Total population: 95,261,021
Total military personnel: 5,488,500
Total aircraft strength: 278
Fighter aircraft: 76
Combat 1,545
Total naval assets: 65
Defense budget: $3.4 billion
15. Israel
Israeli soldiers secure the Israel-Lebanon border, January 28, 2015. (Ariel Schalit/AP)
Power Index rating: 0.3476
Total population: 8,174,527
Total military personnel: 718,250
Total aircraft strength: 652
Fighter aircraft: 243
Combat tanks: 2,620
Total naval assets: 65
Defense budget: $15.5 billion
14. Indonesia
Indonesian soldiers arrive at Talang Betutu airport in Palembang to reinforce firefighter teams in south Sumatra province, September 10, 2015 (Beawiharta Beawiharta/REUTERS)
Power Index rating: 0.3347
Total population: 258,316,051
Total military personnel: 975,750
Total aircraft strength: 441
Fighter aircraft: 39
Combat tanks: 418
Total naval assets: 221
Defense budget: $6.9 billion
13. Pakistan
A Pakistani Ranger gestures during a daily parade at the Pakistan-India joint checkpoint at Wagah border, on the outskirts of Lahore, October 23, 2011. (Mohsin Raza/Reuters)
Power Index rating: 0.3287
Total population: 201,995,540
Total military personnel: 919,000
Total aircraft strength: 951
Fighter aircraft: 301
Combat tanks: 2,924
Total naval assets: 197
Defense budget: $7 billion
12. South Korea
A South Korean army K1A1 battle tank fires during South Korea-US joint military live-fire drills at Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, August 28, 2015. (AP)
Power Index rating: 0.2741
Total population: 50,924,172
Total military personnel: 5,829,750
Total aircraft strength: 1,477
Fighter aircraft: 406
Combat tanks: 2,654
Total naval assets: 166 (one aircraft carrier)
Defense budget: $43.8 billion
11. Italy
An Italian soldier, part the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFL), patrols the Lebanese coast from a helicopter as the Italian aircraft-carrying cruiser Garibaldi patrols near Beirut, Lebanon, October 1, 2006. (REUTERS/Fadi Ghalioum)
Power Index rating: 0.2694
Total population: 62,007,540
Total military personnel: 267,500
Total aircraft strength: 822
Fighter aircraft: 79
Combat tanks: 200
Total naval assets: 143 (two aircraft carriers)
Defense budget: $34 billion
10. Egypt
Egyptian military police stand guard at the Almaza military airport where the bodies of soldiers who died in attacks in north Sinai were being turned over to relatives for burial, in Cairo, Egypt, January 30, 2015. (Associated Press)
Power Index rating: 0.2676
Total population: 94,666,993
Total military personnel: 1,329,250
Total aircraft strength: 1,132
Fighter aircraft: 337
Combat tanks: 4,110
Total naval assets: 319 (two aircraft carriers)
Defense budget: $4.4 billion
9. Germany
German Bundeswehr soldiers fire mortars during the Joint Air Warfare Tactical Exercise 2014 at an army training area in Bergen, May 20, 2014. (REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch)
Power Index rating: 0.2609
Total population: 80,722,792
Total military personnel: 210,000
Total aircraft strength: 698
Fighter aircraft: 92
Combat tanks: 543
Total naval assets: 81
Defense budget: $39.2 billion
8. Turkey
Turkish army tanks and military personal are stationed in Karkamis on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern Gaziantep province, Turkey, August 25, 2016 (Umit Bektas/Reuters)
Power Index rating: 0.2491
Total population: 80,274,604
Total military personnel: 743,415
Total aircraft strength: 1,018
Fighter aircraft: 207
Combat tanks: 2,445
Total naval assets: 194
Defense budget: $8.2 billion
7. Japan
Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force tanks fire during an annual training session near Mount Fuji at Higashifuji training field in Gotemba, west of Tokyo, August 19, 2014. (Yuya Shino/REUTERS)
Power Index rating: 0.2137
Total population: 126,702,133
Total military personnel: 311,875
Total aircraft strength: 1,594
Fighter aircraft: 288
Combat tanks: 700
Total naval assets: 131 (four aircraft carriers)
Defense budget: $43.8 billion
6. United Kingdom
A British Parachute Regiment soldier prepares to load a helicopter during a simulated medical evacuation in an exercise at the Hohenfels Training Area, in Hohenfels, Germany, June 17, 2016. (Sgt. Seth Plagenza/US Army)
Power Index rating: 0.2131
Total population: 64,430,428
Total military personnel: 232,675
Total aircraft strength: 856
Fighter aircraft: 88
Combat tanks 249
Total naval assets: 76 (two aircraft carriers)
Defense budget: $45.7 billion
5. France
Tanks drive down the Champs Elysees avenue during the Bastille Day parade in Paris, Friday, July 14, 2017. (Associated Press)
Power Index rating: 0.1914
Total population: 66,836,154
Total military personnel: 387,635
Total aicraft strength: 1,305
Fighter aircraft 296
Combat tanks: 406
Total naval assets: 118 (four aircraft carriers)
Defense budget: $35 billion
4. India
Indian soldiers, followed by Bhishma tank, the locally assembled version of the T-90 S tank, and vehicle-mounted Brahmos missiles in a Republic Day parade in front of the presidential palace in New Delhi, India, January 23, 2009. (AP)
Power Index rating: 0.1593
Total population: 1,266,883,598
Total military personnel: 4,207,250
Total aircraft strength: 2,102
Fighter aircraft: 676
Combat tanks: 4,426
Total naval assets: 295 (three aircraft carriers)
Defense budget: $51 billion
3. China
Soldiers from a special unit of the People’s Armed Police in Xinjiang at a training session in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China. (Reuters/Stringer)
Power Index rating: 0.0945
Total population: 1,373,541,278
Total military personnel: 3,712,500
Total aircraft strength: 2,955
Fighter aircraft: 1,271
Combat tanks: 6,457
Total naval assets: 714 (one aircraft carrier)
Defense budget: $161.7 billion
2. Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin inspects the Vice-Admiral Kulakov anti-submarine-warfare ship in Novorossiysk, September 23, 2014. (REUTERS/Mikhail Klimentyev/RIA Novosti/Kremlin)
Power Index rating: 0.0929
Total population: 142,355,415
Total military personnel: 3,371,027
Total aircraft strength: 3,794
Fighter aircraft: 806
Combat tanks: 20,216
Total naval assets: 352 (one aircraft carrier)
Defense budget: $44.6 billion
1. United States
US Marines with Combat Logistics Detachment 1, Combat Logistics Battalion 13, 1st Marine Logistics Group, practice “combat gliding” during Integrated Training Exercise 2-15 at Camp Wilson on Twentynine Palms, California, January 31, 2015. (US Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Kathryn Howard/Released)
Power Index rating: 0.0857
Total population: 323,995,528
Total military personnel: 2,363,675
Total aircraft: 13,762
Fighter aircraft: 2,296
Combat tanks: 5,884
Total naval assets: 415 (19 aircraft carriers)
Defense budget: $587.8 billion
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