The invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin's Russia has brought the realities of war back to the continent of Europe.
Many people are now really looking at investment in the armed forces for the first time and it is worth assessing how the UK's (and our NATO allies) armed forces matches up against other nations.
To assess the relative strength of different armed forces WalesOnline has used the PwrIndx ranking system used by the website GlobalFirepower (GFP).
This is compiled using data based on each nation's potential war-making capability across land, sea, and air fought by conventional means. The results incorporate values related to manpower, equipment, natural resources, finances, and geography represented by 50+ individual factors used in formulating the finalized GFP ranks. The say these rankings "provide an interesting glimpse into an increasingly volatile global landscape where war seems all but an inevitability".
This graph shows the total manpower of different nations:
Each country is given a score. The close to zero they are, the more powerful their armed forces. These are the top 20 in the world:
1. United States PwrIndx score: 0.0453 (NATO member)
With over 1.8 million military personnel and more investment than any other country in the world, the US remains the premier military power on the planet.
Total military personnel (est) 1,832,000 (of which 442,000 are reserves).
Airpower
- Total aircraft strength: 13,247
- Fighters/Interceptors:1,957
- Dedicated attack: 783
- Transports: 982
- Trainers: 2,661
- Special-mission: 774
- Tanker fleet: 627
- Helicopters: 5,463
- Attack helicopters: 910
Land forces
- Tanks: 6,612
- Armoured vehicles: 45,193
- Self-propelled artillery: 1,498
- Towed artillery: 1,339
- Rocket projectors: 1,366
Naval forces
- Total Assets:484
- Aircraft Carriers: 11
- Helicopter Carriers: 9
- Destroyers: 92
- Frigates: 0
- Corvettes: 22
- Submarines: 68
- Patrol Vessels: 10
- Mine Warfare: 8
2. Russia - Score: 0.0501
Russia has invested significantly in its military in recent years (which makes the resistance of the Ukrainians all the more heroic). The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) 2017 Military Expenditure Database estimated Russia's military expenditure in 2016 at US$69.2 billion. This estimate is roughly twice that of SIPRI's estimate of the Russian military budget for 2006
Total military personnel (est) 1,350,000 (of which 250,000 are reserves and 250,000 paramilitary).
Airpower
- Total aircraft strength: 4,173
- Fighters/Interceptors: 772
- Dedicated attack: 739
- Transports: 445
- Trainers: 522
- Special mission:132
- Tanker fleet: 20
- Helicopters: 1,543
- Attack helicopters: 544
Land forces
- Tanks: 12,420
- Armoured vehicles: 30,122
- Self-Propelled artillery: 6,574
- Towed artillery: 7,571
- Rocket projectors: 3,391
Naval forces
- Total assets: 605
- Aircraft carriers: 1
- Helicopter carriers: 0
- Destroyers:15
- Frigates: 11
- Corvettes: 86
- Submarines: 70
- Patrol vessels: 59
- Mine warfare:49
3. China - Score: 0.0511
China has significantly stepped up its military spending in recent years. China spent $250 billion on its military in 2018, an increase of 83% during the period from 2009 through 2018. This makes it the second biggest spender in the world (though significantly less the the USA).
Total military personnel (est) 3,134,000 (of which 510,000 are reserves and 624,000 paramilitary).
Air power
- Total aircraft strength: 3,285
- Fighters/Interceptors: 1,200
- Dedicated attack:371
- Transports: 286
- Trainers: 399
- Special-Mission:114
- Tanker Fleet: 3
- Helicopters: 912
- Attack helicopters: 281 (8.6%)
Land forces
- Tanks: 5,250
- Armoured vehicles:35,000
- Self-propelled artillery: 4,120
- Towed artillery: 1,734
- Rocket Projectors: 3,160
Naval forces
- Total assets: 777
- Aircraft carriers: 2
- Helicopter carriers: 1
- Destroyers: 41
- Frigates: 49
- Corvettes: 70
- Submarines: 79
- Patrol vessels: 152
- Mine warfare: 36
4. India - Score: 0.0979
India is fourth on the list and has longstanding tensions with its neighbour Pakistan. It also has border disputes with China along the Himalayas.
India’s expenditure is about a quarter that of China’s which pegged it at over $200 billion last March, an increase of 6.8%, according to data from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Total military personnel (est) 5,132,000 (includes 1,155,000 reserves and 2,527,000 paramilitaries).
Airpower
- Total aircraft strength: 2,182
- Fighters/Interceptors: 564
- Dedicated attack: 130
- Transports: 253
- Trainers: 353
- Special-mission: 71
- Tanker fleet: 6
- Helicopters: 805
- Attack helicopters: 37
Land forces
- Tanks: 4,614
- Armoured vehicles: 12,000
- Self-propelled artillery: 100
- Towed artillery: 3,311
- Rocket projectors: 1,338
Naval forces
- Total assets: 295
- Aircraft carriers: 1
- Helicopter carriers: 0
- Destroyers: 10
- Frigates: 13
- Corvettes: 22
- Submarines: 17
- Patrol vessels:128 S
- Mine warfare: 0
5. Japan - Score: 0.1195
Given its history of aggression to its neighbours, Japan's military is mainly based around defence and is called the Japan Self-Defence Forces. Like many countries in the region it is increasingly concerned about China's expansion into the South China Sea.
Total military personnel (est) 309,000 (of which 55,000 are reserves and 14,000 are paramilitary).
Airpower
- Total aircraft strength: 1,449
- Fighters/Interceptors:217
- Dedicated attack:23
- Transports: 59
- Trainers: 425
- Special-mission: 164
- Tanker fleet: 7
- Helicopters: 554
- Attack helicopters: 119
Land forces
- Tanks: 1,004
- Armoured vehicles: 5,500
- Self-propelled artillery: 214
- Towed artillery: 480
- Rocket projectors: 99
Naval forces
- Total assets: 155
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Helicopter carriers:4
- Destroyers:36
- Frigates: 4
- Corvettes:6
- Submarines: 21
- Patrol vessels: 6
- Mine warfare: 22
6. South Korea - Score: 0.1261
Given it has a very volatile and nuclear armed neighbour to the north, South Korea's armed forces are one of the largest and most powerful standing armed forces in the world with a reported personnel strength of 3,750,000 in 2020 (650,000 active and 3,100,000 reserve).
Total military personnel (est.) 1,130,000(of which 500,000 are reserves and 75,000 (paramilitary).
Airpower
- Total aircraft strength: 1,595
- Fighters/Interceptors:402
- Dedicated Attack: 90
- Transports: 41
- Trainers: 289
- Special-mission:30
- Tanker fleet: 4
- Helicopters: 739
- Attack helicopters: 112
Land forces
- Tanks: 2,624
- Armoured vehicles: 13,990
- Self-propelled artillery: 3,040
- Towed artillery: 3,854
- Rocket projectors: 574
Naval forces
- Total assets: 234
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Helicopter carriers: 2
- Destroyers: 12
- Frigates: 18
- Corvettes: 11
- Submarines: 22
- Patrol vessels: 111
- Mine warfare: 13
7. France - Score: 0.1283 (NATO member)
France currently possesses one of Western Europe's most capable militaries. It has been in use recently in tackling the growth of Islamic extremists in areas of North Africa.
Total military personnel (est.) 415,000 (of which 35,000 are reserves and 175,000 paramilitary)
Airpower
- Total aircraft strength: 1,055
- Fighters/interceptors: 266
- Dedicated attack: 0
- Transports: 125
- Trainers: 165
- Special-mission: 46
- Tanker fleet: 18
- Helicopters: 435
- Attack helicopters: 69
Land forces
- Tanks: 406
- Armoured vehicles: 6,558
- Self-propelled artillery: 109
- Towed artillery: 105
- Rocket projectors: 13
Naval forces
- Total assets: 180
- Aircraft carriers:1
- Helicopter carriers: 3
- Destroyers: 10
- Frigates: 11
- Corvettes: 0
- Submarines: 10
- Patrol vessels: 15
- Mine warfare: 17
8. United Kingdom - Score: 0.1382 (NATO member)
Despite a steady decline in the size of its armed forces over the last decade the UK still has one of the strongest militaries in NATO including nearly 700 total aircraft.
Total military personnel (est.) 231,000 (of which 37,000 are reserves).
Airpower
- Total aircraft strength: 693
- Fighters/interceptors: 119
- Dedicated attack: 23
- Transports: 40
- Trainers: 247
- Special-mission: 20
- Tanker fleet: 9
- Helicopters: 235
- Attack helicopters :24
Land forces
- Tanks: 227
- Armoured vehicles: 5,015
- Self-propelled artillery: 89
- Towed artillery: 126
- Rocket projectors: 44
Naval forces
- Total assets: 75
- Aircraft carriers: 2
- Helicopter carriers:0 S
- Destroyers: 6
- Frigates: 12
- Corvettes: 0
- Submarines: 10
- Patrol vessels: 26
- Mine warfare: 11
9. Pakistan - Score: 0.1572
Nuclear armed Pakistan has a total military personnel (est.) 1,640,000 (of which 500,000 are reserves and 500,000 paramilitary.)
Airpower
- Total aircraft - 1,387
- Fighters/Interceptors: 357 (25.7%)
- Dedicated attack: 90 (6.5%)
- Transports: 54 (3.9%)
- Trainers: 551 (39.7%)
- Special-mission: 24 (1.7%)
- Tanker fleet: 4 (0.3%)
- Helicopters: 307 (22.1%)
- Attack helicopters: 57 (4.1%)
Land Forces:
- Tanks: 2,824
- Armoured Vehicles: 9,950
- Self-Propelled Artillery: 689
- Towed Artillery: 1,208
- Rocket Projectors: 560
Naval forces:
- Total Assets: 114
- Aircraft Carriers: 0
- Helicopter Carriers: 0
- Destroyers: 2
- Frigates: 6
- Corvettes: 2
- Submarines: 9
- Patrol Vessels: 48 S
- Mine Warfare: 3
10. Brazil - Score: 0.1695
Total military personnel (est) 2,100,000 (of which 1,340,000 are reserves and 400,000 paramilitary)
Airpower
- Total aircraft strength: 679
- Fighters/interceptors: 42
- Dedicated attack: 77
- Transports: 125
- Trainers: 210
- Special-mission: 41
- Tanker fleet: 2
- Helicopters: 179
- Attack helicopters: 12
Land forces
- Tanks: 439
- Armoured vehicles: 1,958
- Self-propelled artillery: 136
- Towed artillery: 546
- Rocket projectors: 78
Naval forces
- Total assets: 112
- Carriers: 0
- Helicopter carriers:
- Destroyers: 0
- Frigates: 6
- Corvettes:2
- Submarines: 7
- Patrol vessels: 22
- Mine warfare: 5
(11-20)
11. Italy - Score: 0.1801 (NATO member)
12. Egypt - Score: 0.1869
13. Turkey - Score: 0.1961(NATO member)
14. Iran - Score: 0.2104
15. Indonesia - Score: 0.2251
16. Germany - Score: 0.2322(NATO member)
17. Australia - Score: 0.2377
18. Israel - Score: 0.2621
19. Spain - Score: 0.2901(NATO member)
20. Saudi Arabia - score of 0.2966
