The United States holds the top rank in overall military power — a composite of spending, manpower, nuclear status and defense burden across 195 nations.
Military power is more than headcount. This ranking combines four measured factors — military expenditure (SIPRI/World Bank), active personnel (national reporting), nuclear-weapons status, and defense burden as a share of GDP — into a single 0–100 score. Each factor is normalized on a logarithmic scale where it spans orders of magnitude; countries missing a data point are scored on the factors available, never penalized with zeros. The mathematics decides the order — no editorial adjustments.
| Rank | Country | Power score | Military spending | Active personnel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 94.02 | $997.0bn | 1,280,000 |
| 2 | Russia | 91.76 | $149.0bn | 1,200,000 |
| 3 | China | 85.95 | $314.0bn | 2,000,000 |
| 4 | North Korea | 84.01 | — | 1,300,000 |
| 5 | India | 81.55 | $86.1bn | 1,450,000 |
| 6 | United Kingdom | 75.43 | $81.8bn | 137,480 |
| 7 | France | 74.95 | $64.7bn | 200,000 |
| 8 | Israel | 71.95 | $46.505bn | 170,000 |
| 9 | Pakistan | 69.84 | $10.0bn | 650,000 |
| 10 | Ukraine | 67.64 | $64.7bn | 800,000 |
| 11 | Turkey | 63.4 | $24.979bn | 495,000 |
| 12 | Germany | 61.38 | $88.5bn | 185,000 |
| 13 | Algeria | 59.89 | $21.8bn | 200,000 |
| 14 | Poland | 59.79 | $38.0bn | 235,000 |
| 15 | Saudi Arabia | 59.14 | $80.331bn | 257,000 |
| 16 | South Korea | 58.04 | $47.6bn | 500,000 |
| 17 | Japan | 57.47 | $55.3bn | 250,000 |
| 18 | Italy | 57.25 | $37.9bn | 170,000 |
| 19 | Colombia | 54.38 | $15.1bn | 260,000 |
| 20 | Netherlands | 52.58 | $23.1bn | 43,000 |
| 21 | Iran | 52.11 | $7.892bn | 600,000 |
| 22 | Indonesia | 51.05 | $8.4bn | 400,000 |
| 23 | Morocco | 50.77 | $5.52bn | 220,000 |
| 24 | Brazil | 49.29 | $20.9bn | 360,000 |
| 25 | Thailand | 49.0 | $5.73bn | 350,000 |
| 26 | Australia | 48.82 | $34.231bn | 60,000 |
| 27 | Spain | 48.2 | $24.6bn | 120,000 |
| 28 | Iraq | 47.49 | $6.179bn | 200,000 |
| 29 | Mexico | 47.34 | $16.7bn | 260,000 |
| 30 | Singapore | 47.18 | $15.6bn | 55,000 |
| 31 | Canada | 47.17 | $29.3bn | 75,000 |
| 32 | Vietnam | 46.36 | — | 450,000 |
| 33 | Egypt | 46.14 | $2.396bn | 450,000 |
| 34 | Philippines | 45.94 | $5.49bn | 145,000 |
| 35 | Armenia | 45.81 | $1.418bn | 42,900 |
| 36 | Burma | 45.65 | $5.0bn | 150,000 |
| 37 | Eritrea | 44.81 | — | 350,000 |
| 38 | Malaysia | 44.54 | $4.78bn | 113,000 |
| 39 | Greece | 43.97 | — | 112,000 |
| 40 | Bangladesh | 43.45 | $2.69bn | 170,000 |
| 41 | Switzerland | 43.19 | $9.45bn | 147,178 |
| 42 | Azerbaijan | 43.14 | $3.77bn | 100,000 |
| 43 | Sweden | 42.97 | $12.0bn | 25,000 |
| 44 | Qatar | 42.86 | $15.3216bn | 15,000 |
| 45 | Oman | 42.31 | $5.9935bn | 42,600 |
| 46 | Sri Lanka | 41.53 | $1.45bn | 210,000 |
| 47 | Venezuela | 41.35 | — | 200,000 |
| 48 | Jordan | 41.32 | $2.45bn | 100,000 |
| 49 | Ethiopia | 40.78 | $0.922bn | 300,000 |
| 50 | Syria | 40.7 | — | 180,000 |
| 51 | Kuwait | 40.51 | $7.793bn | 17,500 |
| 52 | Mali | 39.9 | $0.929bn | 21,000 |
| 53 | Afghanistan | 39.58 | — | 150,000 |
| 54 | Cambodia | 39.35 | $1.3bn | 124,300 |
| 55 | Yemen | 39.07 | — | 138,000 |
| 56 | Burkina Faso | 38.84 | $1.024bn | 7,500 |
| 57 | Sudan | 38.55 | — | 127,000 |
| 58 | Romania | 37.65 | — | 70,000 |
| 59 | Belgium | 37.4 | — | 23,000 |
| 60 | Laos | 37.08 | — | 100,000 |
| 61 | Nepal | 36.76 | — | 95,000 |
| 62 | South Africa | 36.76 | $2.836bn | 70,000 |
| 63 | South Sudan | 36.62 | $0.5bn | 185,000 |
| 64 | Chad | 36.22 | $0.558bn | 40,000 |
| 65 | Lithuania | 35.95 | — | 20,000 |
| 66 | DRC | 35.83 | — | 150,000 |
| 67 | Belarus | 35.82 | — | 60,000 |
| 68 | Tunisia | 35.17 | $1.2865bn | 35,000 |
| 69 | Nigeria | 34.95 | $1.133bn | 140,000 |
| 70 | Ecuador | 34.74 | — | 40,519 |
| 71 | Lebanon | 34.72 | $0.635bn | 76,000 |
| 72 | Angola | 34.61 | $0.922bn | 100,000 |
| 73 | AE | 34.42 | — | 65,000 |
| 74 | Serbia | 34.37 | — | 25,000 |
| 75 | Chile | 34.05 | — | 70,000 |
| 76 | Norway | 34.03 | — | 40,000 |
| 77 | Finland | 33.89 | — | 31,000 |
| 78 | Kenya | 33.73 | $1.231bn | 50,000 |
| 79 | Niger | 33.73 | $0.436bn | 50,000 |
| 80 | Burundi | 33.65 | $0.172bn | 30,000 |
| 81 | Uganda | 33.53 | — | 45,000 |
| 82 | Bahrain | 33.37 | $1.38bn | 18,400 |
| 83 | Hungary | 33.02 | — | 30,000 |
| 84 | Latvia | 32.96 | — | 9,000 |
| 85 | Cuba | 32.8 | — | 50,000 |
| 86 | Kazakhstan | 32.8 | — | 50,000 |
| 87 | Uzbekistan | 32.8 | — | 50,000 |
| 88 | Uruguay | 32.78 | $0.577bn | 23,000 |
| 89 | Estonia | 32.7 | — | 7,500 |
| 90 | Bulgaria | 32.67 | — | 28,000 |
| 91 | Botswana | 32.49 | $0.568bn | 12,000 |
| 92 | Denmark | 31.69 | — | 17,000 |
| 93 | Peru | 31.6 | — | 85,000 |
| 94 | Czechia | 31.51 | — | 28,000 |
| 95 | Georgia | 30.95 | — | 37,000 |
| 96 | Mongolia | 30.6 | — | 35,000 |
| 97 | Turkmenistan | 30.6 | — | 35,000 |
| 98 | Namibia | 30.58 | $0.362bn | 12,000 |
| 99 | Senegal | 30.37 | $0.515bn | 25,000 |
| 100 | Togo | 30.36 | — | 20,000 |
| 101 | Guinea | 30.11 | $0.562bn | 12,000 |
| 102 | Libya | 30.05 | — | 32,000 |
| 103 | Cameroon | 30.0 | $0.535bn | 38,000 |
| 104 | Bolivia | 29.81 | — | 35,000 |
| 105 | Slovakia | 29.67 | — | 17,000 |
| 106 | Panama | 29.65 | — | 30,000 |
| 107 | Argentina | 29.57 | — | 75,000 |
| 108 | Côte d'Ivoire | 29.35 | $0.658bn | 30,000 |
| 109 | Palestine | 29.23 | — | 28,000 |
| 110 | The Dominican | 29.17 | — | 57,629 |
| 111 | Portugal | 29.06 | — | 25,000 |
| 112 | Mozambique | 28.94 | $0.45bn | 11,200 |
| 113 | Congo (Brazzaville) | 28.69 | $0.899bn | 10,000 |
| 114 | Honduras | 28.19 | — | 19,786 |
| 115 | Croatia | 28.0 | — | 15,000 |
| 116 | Mauritania | 27.69 | $0.2371bn | 31,540 |
| 117 | Tanzania | 27.17 | — | 25,000 |
| 118 | El Salvador | 27.14 | — | 24,023 |
| 119 | Rwanda | 26.34 | $0.176bn | 33,000 |
| 120 | Cyprus | 26.24 | — | 12,000 |
| 121 | Albania | 26.02 | — | 7,500 |
| 122 | Zambia | 26.0 | — | 16,000 |
| 123 | Austria | 25.8 | — | 22,000 |
| 124 | Bhutan | 25.78 | — | 16,000 |
| 125 | Costa Rica | 25.38 | — | 15,000 |
| 126 | Kyrgyzstan | 25.38 | — | 15,000 |
| 127 | North Macedonia | 25.31 | — | 6,000 |
| 128 | Gabon | 25.04 | $0.319bn | 7,000 |
| 129 | Somalia | 24.58 | $0.2019bn | 15,000 |
| 130 | CT | 24.55 | $0.0712bn | 14,150 |
| 131 | Djibouti | 24.0 | — | 12,000 |
| 132 | Ghana | 23.88 | $0.269bn | 20,000 |
| 133 | Zimbabwe | 23.84 | — | 29,000 |
| 134 | Paraguay | 23.7 | — | 15,000 |
| 135 | New Zealand | 23.14 | — | 10,037 |
| 136 | Tajikistan | 22.88 | — | 10,000 |
| 137 | Guatemala | 22.2 | — | 20,000 |
| 138 | Fiji | 21.73 | — | 6,500 |
| 139 | Benin | 21.47 | $0.154bn | 12,000 |
| 140 | Slovenia | 21.34 | — | 6,000 |
| 141 | Jamaica | 21.13 | — | 5,950 |
| 142 | Malawi | 20.92 | $0.118bn | 10,000 |
| 143 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 20.89 | — | 10,000 |
| 144 | Madagascar | 20.82 | $0.122bn | 13,000 |
| 145 | Nicaragua | 20.73 | — | 12,000 |
| 146 | Brunei | 20.68 | — | 7,000 |
| 147 | Guyana | 20.2 | $0.248bn | 3,500 |
| 148 | Montenegro | 19.62 | — | 2,350 |
| 149 | Moldova | 19.4 | — | 8,500 |
| 150 | Eswatini | 18.81 | — | 3,000 |
| 151 | Ireland | 18.12 | — | 9,500 |
| 152 | Trinidad and Tobago | 17.58 | — | 4,050 |
| 153 | Guinea-Bissau | 17.23 | — | 4,000 |
| 154 | Maldives | 17.23 | — | 4,000 |
| 155 | Haiti | 17.01 | — | 9,000 |
| 156 | Equatorial Guinea | 16.17 | $0.113bn | 2,000 |
| 157 | Sierra Leone | 15.01 | $0.0364bn | 10,000 |
| 158 | Papua New Guinea | 13.97 | — | 3,600 |
| 159 | Lesotho | 13.85 | $0.0363bn | 2,000 |
| 160 | Timor-Leste | 13.68 | — | 2,250 |
| 161 | The Bahamas | 12.97 | — | 2,005 |
| 162 | Belize | 12.88 | — | 1,500 |
| 163 | Suriname | 12.3 | — | 1,800 |
| 164 | Liberia | 11.04 | $0.0338bn | 2,010 |
| 165 | Luxembourg | 10.83 | — | 900 |
| 166 | Seychelles | 7.76 | $0.0269bn | 500 |
| 167 | Cabo Verde | 7.45 | $0.0168bn | 1,500 |
| 168 | The Gambia | 5.95 | $0.0144bn | 1,125 |
| 169 | Barbados | 5.52 | — | 600 |
| 170 | Comoros | 5.52 | — | 600 |
| 171 | Tonga | 5.52 | — | 600 |
| 172 | Sao Tome and Principe | 4.4 | — | 500 |
| 173 | Malta | 3.87 | — | — |
| 174 | Mauritius | 2.84 | $0.023bn | — |
| 175 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 1.25 | — | 300 |
| 176 | Andorra | 0.0 | — | — |
| 177 | Antigua and Barbuda | 0.0 | — | 245 |
| 178 | Dominica | 0.0 | — | — |
| 179 | FM | 0.0 | — | — |
| 180 | Grenada | 0.0 | — | — |
| 181 | Iceland | 0.0 | — | — |
| 182 | Kiribati | 0.0 | — | — |
| 183 | Saint Lucia | 0.0 | — | — |
| 184 | Liechtenstein | 0.0 | — | — |
| 185 | Monaco | 0.0 | — | — |
| 186 | Marshall Islands | 0.0 | — | — |
| 187 | Nauru | 0.0 | — | — |
| 188 | Palau | 0.0 | — | — |
| 189 | Solomon Islands | 0.0 | — | — |
| 190 | San Marino | 0.0 | — | — |
| 191 | Tuvalu | 0.0 | — | — |
| 192 | Holy See (Vatican City) | 0.0 | — | — |
| 193 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 0.0 | — | — |
| 194 | Vanuatu | 0.0 | — | — |
| 195 | Samoa | 0.0 | — | — |
Formula: Military Power = 40% spending (log USD) + 25% personnel (log active) + 20% nuclear status + 15% defense burden (% GDP), each normalized 0–100. Nuclear status: 100 for the five NPT nuclear-weapon states (US, Russia, China, UK, France), 70 for non-NPT possessors (India, Pakistan, North Korea) and Israel, 30 for NATO nuclear-sharing hosts, 0 otherwise. Spending figures are the latest available (2024 preferred, SIPRI). Sources: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, World Bank MS.MIL.XPND, CIA World Factbook personnel strengths.
