You won’t believe how powerful some of these countries are and how much they spend on their military. Even the 20th most powerful military spends over $5 billion USD per year, with over 600,000 troops and an aircraft carrier. Some countries such as North Korea and Italy are far more powerful than you might think.
This gallery will show the world’s 50 most powerful military forces in the world. We’ll be starting with the 50th most powerful military force and make our way up to number one. Start the slideshow below:
50. The Philippines.
The total amount of military personnel in the Philippines is 498,250. Their defense budget is $3,000,000,000. Their total amount of aircraft strength is 149. The Philippines have 45 tanks and 778 armored fighting vehicles. They don’t have any submarines or aircraft carriers. Their power index is 0.8367.
49. Belarus.
The defense budget for Belarus is $725,000,000. Their total military personnel is 401,250. Belarus has 515 tanks and 2,321 armored fighting vehicles. Their total aircraft strength is 193, but they have zero aircraft carriers. They don’t have any naval assets or submarines. Their power index is 0.8109.
48. Uzbekistan.
Their total defense budget is $70,000,000. Their total military personnel is 76,500. They have 420 tanks and 715 armored fighting vehicles. Their total aircraft strength is 175. The total naval assets of Uzbekistan is zero. They don’t have any submarines or aircraft carriers. Their power index 0.8044.
47. Chile.
Chile’s total defense budge is $5,483,000,000. Their total military personnel is 137,850. They have an aircraft strength of 243. They have zero aircraft carriers. They have 2,346 armored fighting vehicles and 300 tanks. Chile has 69 total naval assets and four submarines. Their power index is 0.7985.
46. South Africa.
South Africa’s total defense budget is $4,610,000,000. Their military personnel consists of 94,050. Their aircraft strength is 231. They have 195 tanks and 2,265 armored fighting vehicles. Their total naval assets add up to 30 and they have three aircraft carriers. South Africa doesn’t have any submarines. Their power index is 0.7864.
45. Venezuela.
The total defense budget for Venezuela is $4,000,000,000. They have a total military personnel of 123,000. Their total aircraft strength is 280, but they don’t have any aircraft carriers. Venezuela has 696 tanks and 700 armored fighting vehicles. Venezuela’s total naval assets are 50 and they have two submarines Their power index is 0.7641.
44. Syria.
The defense budget for Syria is $1,872,000,000. Syria’s total military personnel is 304,000. They have a total aircraft strength of 461. They have 4,640 tanks, 4,510 armored fighting vehicles, and zero aircraft carriers. Their total naval assets are 56, but they don’t have any submarines. Their power index is 0.7603.
43. Nigeria.
The total defense budget for Nigeria is $2,330,000,000. Their total military personnel is 181,000. They have a total aircraft strength of 110, but Nigeria doesn’t have any aircraft carriers. They have 148 tanks and 1,420 armored fighting vehicles. Their total naval assets are 75, with zero submarines. Their power index is 0.7511.
42. Romania.
Romania has a defense budget of $2,190,000,000. The total military personnel of Romania is 177,750. Their total aircraft strength is 134. They have 827 tanks and 1,456 armored fighting vehicles. Their total naval assets are 48. They have zero submarines and zero aircraft carriers. Their total power index is 0.7473.
41. Ethiopia.
Ethiopia’s defense budget is $340,000,000. They 162,000 total military personnel. Their total aircraft strength is 80, but they don’t have any aircraft carriers. They have 800 armored fighting vehicles and 800 tanks. Their total naval assets are zero and they don’t have any submarines. Their power index is 0.7443.
40. Colombia.
The total defense budget of Colombia is $12,145,000,000. Their total military personnel is 511,550. They have a total aircraft strength of 457. Colombia doesn’t have any tanks, but they have 1,345 armored fighting vehicles. Their total naval assets are 234. They don’t have any aircraft carriers but they have 11 submarines. They have a power index of 0.7281.
39. Peru.
Peru’s defense budget is $2,560,000,000. They have a total military personnel of 369,330. They have a total aircraft strength of 267 with zero aircraft carriers. They have 85 tanks and 890 armored fighting vehicles. Peru’s total naval assets are 60 and they have six submarines. Their power index is 0.7163.
38.
The Netherlands. The total defense budget for The Netherlands is $9,840,000,000. Their total military personnel is 53,205. They have a total aircraft strength of 164. They have zero tanks, 979 armored fighting vehicles, four submarines, and zero aircraft carriers. Their total naval assets are 56. Their power index is 0.7119.
37. Switzerland.
Switzerland’s total defense budget is $4,830,000,000. The total military personnel in Switzerland is 171,000. They have a total aircraft strength of 183. They have 134 tanks and 1,032 armored fighting vehicles. Their total naval assets are zero. They have zero aircraft carriers and zero submarines. Their power index is 0.7098.
36. Norway.
Norway’s defense budget is $7,000,000,000. Their total military personnel is 72,500. They have a total aircraft strength of 106, but don’t have any aircraft carriers. They have 52 tanks and 684 armored fighting vehicles. Their total naval assets are 62 and they have six submarines. Their power index is 0.6974.
35. Argentina.
The total defense budget in Argentina is $4,330,000,000. Their total military personnel is 127,720. They have a total aircraft strength of 248 with zero aircrafts. They have 390 tanks. Argentina has 828 armored fighting vehicles. Their total naval assets are 42 and they have three submarines. Argentina’s power index is 0.6847.
34. Mexico.
Mexico’s defense budget is $7,000,000,000. Their total military personnel is 383,575. They have total aircraft strength of 452. They don’t have any tanks, aircraft carriers, or submarines. Mexico has 695 armored fighting vehicles. The total naval assets of Mexico is 143. Mexico has a power index of 0.6601.
33. Malaysia.
Malaysia has a defense budget of $4,700,000,000. The total military personnel in Malaysia is 420,0000. Their total aircraft strength is 232. They have 74 tanks. Malaysia has 1,318 armored fighting vehicles. Their total naval assets are 61 and they have two submarines. Malaysia doesn’t have any aircraft carriers. Malaysia’s power index is 0.6423.
32. Czech Republic.
The defense budget of Czech Republic is $2,220,000,000. Their total military personnel is 29,050. They have a total aircraft strength of 109. They have 123 tanks, 518 armored fighting vehicles, zero submarines, and zero aircraft carriers. Their total naval assets equal to zero, as well. They have a power index of 0.6161.
31. Myanmar.
The total defense budget for Myanmar is $2,400,000,000. They have 516,000 total military personnel. Their total Aircraft Strength is 249. Myanmar has 592 tanks and 1,358 armored fighting vehicles. Their total naval assets are 155. They don’t have any aircraft Carriers or submarines. Myanmar’s power index is 0.5991.
30. Ukraine.
The Ukraine’s defense budget is $4,880,000,000. The total military personnel of the Ukraine is 1,182,000. Their total aircraft strength is 238. The Ukraine has 2,449 tanks, 8,217 armored fighting vehicles, zero aircraft carriers and zero submarines. Ukraine’s total naval assets are 25. The Ukraine has a power index of 0.5664.
29. Sweden.
Sweden’s defense budget is $6,215,000,000. Their total military personnel is 43,875. They have a total aircraft strength of 198. Sweden has 120 tanks and 2,470 armored fighting vehicles. Sweden’s total naval assets are 63. Sweden has zero aircraft carriers and five submarines. Sweden’s power index is 0.5641.
28. Greece.
The defense budget of Greece is $6,540,000,000. Their total military personnel is 413,750. Their total aircraft strength is 600, but they have zero aircraft carriers. Greece has 1,345 tanks and 4,209 armored fighting vehicles. Greece’s total naval assets are 115 and they have 11 submarines. Their power index is 0.4981.
27. Spain.
The defense budget is $11,600,000,000. Spain’s total military personnel is 174,700. Their total aircraft strength is 533 and they have two aircraft carriers. Spain has 327 tanks and 2,493 armored fighting vehicles. Spain’s total naval assets are 46 and they have three submarines. Their power index is 0.4806.
26. Canada.
The defense budget of Canada is $15,500,000,000. Their total military personnel is 111,250. They have a total aircraft strength of 414, but they don’t have any aircraft carriers. Canada has 80 tanks and 3,004 armored fighting vehicles. Canada’s total naval assets are 63 and they have four submarines. The power index of Canada is 0.4381.
25. Algeria.
The total defense budget for Algeria is $10,570,000,000. They have a total military personnel of 792,350. Their total aircraft strength is 502. Algeria has 2,405 tanks, 6,754 armored fighting vehicles, zero aircraft carriers and six submarines. Algeria’s total naval assets are 85. Their power index is 0.4366.
24. Saudi Arabia. The defense budget of Saudi Arabia is $56,725,000,000. Their total military personnel is 256,000. The total aircraft strength of Saudi Arabia is 790. Saudi Arabia has 1,142 tanks and 5,472 armored fighting vehicles. The total naval assets are 55. Saudi Arabia has zero aircraft carriers and zero submarines. The Power Index of Saudi Arabia is 0.4302.
23. North Korea. North Korea’s defense budget is $7,500,000,000. Their total military personnel is 6,445,000. Their total aircraft strength is 944, but they have zero aircraft carries. North Korea has 5,025 tanks and 4,100 armored fighting vehicles: 4,100. North Korea’s total naval assets are 967 and they have 76 submarines. Their power index is 0.4218.
22. Australia. Australia has a defense budget of $24,100,000,000. The total military personnel is 81,000. Australia has a total aircraft strength of 465 and they have two aircraft carriers. Australia has 59 tanks and 2,040 armored fighting vehicles. Their total naval assets are 47 and they have six submarines. Australia’s power index is 0.4072.
21. Iran. Iran’s defense budget is $6,300,000,000. They have a total military personnel of 934,000. The total aircraft strength of Australia is 477, but they have zero aircraft carriers. They have 1,616 tanks. They also have 1,315 armored fighting vehicles: 1,315. Australia’s total naval assets are 398, and they have 33 submarines. Their power index is 0.3933.
20. Thailand. Thailand’s defense budget is $5,390,000,000. Their total military personnel is 627,425. They have a total aircraft strength of 555 and they have one aircraft carrier. Thailand has 737 tanks, and 2,614 armored fighting vehicles. Their total naval assets are 81, but they don’t have any submarines. Thailand’s power index is 0.3892.
19. Poland. The defense budget of Poland is $9,360,000,000. Their total military personnel is 184,650. They have a total aircraft strength of 465, but Poland has zero aircraft carriers. Poland has 2,608 armored fighting vehicles and 1,065 tanks. Their total naval assets are 83 and they have five submarines. Poland’s power index is 0.3831.
18. Taiwan. Taiwan’s defense budget is $10,725,000,000. Their total military personnel is 1,932,500. The total aircraft strength of Taiwan is 850 and they have zero aircraft carriers. Taiwan has 2,005 tanks and 4,350 armored fighting vehicles. Their total naval assets are 87 and they have four submarines. The power index of Taiwan is 0.3765.
17. Brazil. The defense budget of Brazil is $24,500,000,000. Their total military personnel is 1,987,000. Brazil’s total aircraft strength is 697, but they have zero aircraft carriers. Brazil has 469 tanks and 1,707 armored fighting vehicles. Their total naval assets equal 110, with five submarines. Brazil’s power index is 0.3654.
16. Vietnam. The defense budget of Vietnam is $3,365,000,000. Their total military personnel is 5,448,500. Their total aircraft strength is 278. Vietnam has zero aircraft carriers. Vietnam has 1,545 tanks and 3,150 armored fighting vehicles. Their total naval assets are 65 and they have six submarines. Vietnam’s power index is 0.3587.
15. Israel. The defense budget of Israel is $15,500,000,000. The total military personnel of Israel is 718,250. Their total aircraft strength is 652, but they don’t have any aircraft carriers. Israel has 2,620 tanks and 10,185 armored fighting vehicles. Israel’s total naval assets are 65 and they have six submarines. Their power index is 0.3476.
14. Indonesia. The defense budget for Indonesia is $6,900,000,000. Their total military personnel is 975,750. The total aircraft strength in Indonesia is 441, but they don’t have any aircraft carriers. Indonesia has 418 tanks and 1,089 armored fighting vehicles. The total naval assets of Indonesia are 221 and they have four submarines. Their power index is 0.3347.
13. Pakistan. Pakistan has a defense budget of $7,000,000,000. Their total military personnel is 919,000. They have a total aircraft strength is 951. Pakistan has 2,924 tanks, 2,828 armored fighting vehicles, and zero aircraft carriers. Their total naval assets are 197 and they have eight submarines. Their power index is 0.3287.
12. South Korea. South Korea’s defense budget is $43,800,000,000. Their total military personnel is 5,829,750. South Korea’s total aircraft strength is 1,477 and they have one aircraft carrier. South Korea has 2,654 tanks and 2,660 armored fighting vehicles. Their total naval assets are 166 and they have 15 submarines. South Korea’s power index is 0.2741.
11. Italy. Italy’s defense budget is $34,000,000,000. They have a total military personnel of 267,500. Their total aircraft strength is 822 and they have two aircraft carriers. Italy has 200 tanks and 6,972 armored fighting vehicles. Their total naval assets are 143 and they have seven submarines. Italy’s power index is 0.2694.
10. Egypt. Egypt’s defense budget is $4,400,000,000. The total military personnel of Egypt is 1,329,250. Their total aircraft strength is 1,132 and they have two aircraft carriers. They have 4,110 tanks and 13,949 armored fighting vehicles. Egypt’s total naval assets are 310 and they have five submarines. Their power index is 0.2676.
9. Germany. The defense budget in Germany is $39,200,000,000. Their total military personnel is 210,000. Their total aircraft strength is 698, but they have zero aircraft carriers. Germany has 543 tanks and 5,869 armored fighting vehicles. Germany’s total naval assets are 81 and they have six submarines. Their power index is 0.2609.
8. Turkey. Turkey’s defense budget is $8,208,000,000. Their total military personnel is 743,415. Turkey’s total aircraft strength is 1,018, but they don’t have any aircraft carriers. Turkey has 2,445 tanks and 7,550 armored fighting vehicles. Turkey’s total naval assets are 194 and they have 12 submarines. Their power index is 0.2491.
7. Japan. Japan’s defense budget is $43,800,000,000. Their total military personnel is 311,875. Their total aircraft strength is 1,594 and they have four aircraft carriers. Japan has 700 tanks and 2,850 armored fighting vehicles. Their total naval assets are 131 and they have 17 submarines. Japan’s power index is 0.2137.
6. United Kingdom. The defense budget of the United Kingdom is $45,700,000,000. They have a total military personnel of 232,675. Their total aircraft strength is 3,794 and they have two aircraft carriers. The United Kingdom has 20,216 tanks and 31,298 armored fighting vehicles. Their total naval assets are 76 and they have 11 submarines. The power index of the United Kingdom is 0.2131.
5. France. France has a defense budget of $35,000,000,000. Their total military personnel is 387,635. They have a total aircraft strength of 856 and they have four aircraft carriers. France has 249 tanks and 5,948 armored fighting vehicles. France’s total naval assets are 118 and they have 10 submarines. Their power index is 0.1914.
4. India. India’s defense budget is $51,000,000,000. Their total military personnel is 4,207,250. India has a total aircraft strength of 2,102 and they have three aircraft carriers. India has 4,426 tanks 6,704 armored fighting vehicles. Their total naval assets is 295 and they have 15 submarines. India’s power index is 0.1593.
3. China. The defense budget for China is $161,700,000,000. Their total military personnel is 3,712,500. They have a total aircraft strength of 2,955 and they have one aircraft carrier. China has 6,457 tanks and 4,788 armored fighting vehicles. The total naval assets of China is 714 and they have 68 submarines. China’s power index is 0.0945.
2. Russia. Russia’s defense budget is $44,600,000,000. Their total military personnel is 3,371,027. Russia’s total aircraft strength is 3,794 is they have one aircraft carrier. Russia has 20,216 tanks and 31,298 armored fighting vehicles. Russia’s total naval assets are 352 and they have 63 submarines. Russia’s power index is 0.0929.
According to the Global Firepower ranking system, The United States has the strongest military in the world. Their defense budget is $587,800,000,000. Their total military personnel is 2,363,675. The total aircraft strength of the United States is 13,762 and they hvae 19 aircraft carriers. They have 5,884 tanks and 41,062 armored fighting vehicles. The total naval assets of the United States are 415 and they have 70 submarines. The power index of the United States is 0.0857.
Thank-you for checking out our slideshow on the 50 Most Powerful Military Forces in the World. What did you think? Did any of them surprise you? Let us know in the comments below.