The 20 most powerful military forces in the world

Military power varies enormously across the world, with dozens of countries having no military.

Global Firepower’s Comprehensive Military Strength Index measures military might based on 50 individual factors, including number and diversity of weapons, natural resources, manpower, and financial stability.

A perfect score on this index is 0.00.

Here are the 20 most powerful military forces in the world, according to the index …

20. Israel, score: 0.35

Israeli citizens are enlisted in compulsory service once they turn 18. Citizens must serve three years in the military if they are men and two years if they are women.

Israel’s total score on this index is 0.3464. The country has a total of 643,000 soldiers, of which 170,000 are in active service. It has a budget of $ 16.6 billion.

19. Australia, score: 0.34

Australia’s strength is lower than Israel’s, it has 80,000 military personnel, of which 60,000 are active. However, it has 59 tanks and a budget of $ 42.7 billion.

18. Spain, score: 0.33

Spain has a total of 216,000 soldiers, more than half of whom (125,000) are in active service.

The European country has more tanks than Australia at 327, but a lower budget of $ 12.08 billion.

17. Saudi Arabia, score: 0.32

Saudi Arabia has a full score of 0.3231. The Saudi army’s total strength is 505,000, of which 480,000 are on active duty.

Saudi Arabia has 1,062 tanks and a military budget of $ 48.5 billion.

16. Indonesia, score: 0.27

Indonesia has a full score of 0.2684, a much higher score than the previous countries on this list.

This is due, in part, to its workforce; Indonesia has 1.08 million people in its military, of which 400,000 are active. The country has 332 tanks and a budget of $ 9.2 billion.

15. Germany, score: 0.25

With a full score of 0.2519, Germany comes 15th on this list. With 215,000 soldiers, including 185,000 active, Germany may not have the most boots on the ground.

However, it makes up for it with its budget, which is $ 57.4 billion. On top of that, it has 244 tanks.

14. Iran, score: 0.25

Iran having a full score of 0.2511, falling slightly above Germany. Iran has a compulsory two-year military service.

It has a total of 1,925,000 people in its army, of which 525,000 were active. It has 3,709 tanks and a budget of $ 14.1 billion.

13. Egypt, score: 0.22

Egypt has a full score of 0.2216 and is highly manpowered with 1,330,000 people in its army. In total, 450,000 of them are active.

Egypt has 3,735 tanks and a budget of $ 10 billion.

12. Italy, score: 0.21

Italy scores a total of 0.2127 on this index and has 371,000 people in its army. Of these, 175,000 are in active service.

Italy has 200 tanks and a budget of $ 30.47 billion.

11. Turkey, score: 0.21

As Turkey has a full score of 0.2109, they just beat Italy at number 11 on this list.

It has 895,000 people in its army, with 355,000 active people. Turkey has 3,045 tanks and a budget of $ 17.3 billion.

10. Pakistan, score: 0.21

With a full score of 0.2073, Pakistan comes in at number 10. It has a total military personnel of 1.7 million, of which 654,000 are on active duty.

The Pakistani army has 2,680 tanks and a budget of $ 12.3 billion per year.

9. Brazil, Rating: 0.20

Brazil has a full score of 0.2026, making it one of the top 10 military powers in the world.

Brazil has 2 million people in its army, of which 334,500 are in active service. It has a budget of $ 29.3 billion and has 439 reservoirs.

8. United Kingdom, score: 0.19

The UK has a full score of 0.197 and therefore comes just above Brazil in terms of military might.

The United Kingdom has 275,000 people in its military, of which 195,000 are in active service. It has a defense budget of $ 56 billion and has 109 tanks in its forces.

7. France, score: 0.17

France sits well above the previous entries on this list with a full score of 0.1681.

France has 450,000 people in its army, including 270,000 in active service.

Its army has 406 tanks and a total budget of $ 47.7 billion.

6. South Korea, score: 0.16

South Korea has a full score of 0.1612 and has an astounding 6.7 million people in its military, or 12.9% of its population.

Those in active service are much lower at 600,000. South Korea has 2,600 tanks and a budget of $ 48 billion.

5. Japan, score: 0.16

With a full score of 0.1599, Japan ranks in the top 5.

The nation has 319,000 people in its military, of which 250,000 are on active duty.

Japan has 1,004 tanks and a budget of $ 51.7 billion.

4. India, score: 0.12

India has a full score of 0.1207 on this index and it’s easy to see why.

The Indian army has 5.1 million personnel, of which 1.4 million are in active service. However, it should be noted that its total military size is only 0.4% of its total population.

India has 4,730 tanks and has an incredible defense budget of $ 73.6 billion.

3.China, score: 0.09

China has a full score of 0.0854 on this index and is the first country to score below 0.1.

China has 3.4 million people in its military, of which 2.1 million are in active service. It should be noted that this large number represents only 0.2 percent of its total population.

Despite this, China has 3,205 tanks and a defense budget of $ 178 billion.

2.Russia, score: 0.08

With a full score of 0.0791, Russia comes second on the list. It has a total of 3.5 million people in its military, of which about 1 million are on active duty.

Russia has access to an incredible 13,000 tanks and a defense budget of $ 42 billion.

1. United States, score: 0.07

America has the most powerful military on the planet, according to the Index, with a full score of 0.0718.

The United States has 2.2 million people in its military service, of which 1.4 million are on active duty.

America has 6,100 tanks at its disposal – far fewer than Russia – but has by far the largest defense budget in the world, $ 740 billion.