This Is the Strongest Military in South America, and There Isn’t a Close Second

24/7 Wall St. Insights

Latin American countries are improving their military strength, allowing for more modern armies, better defensive strategies, and larger fleets.
The military dominance of the top country on this list stems from its large defense budget and extensive military personnel.
Unlike its counterparts, Panama has no active military as it was outlawed for stability. Instead, Panama focuses on internal and state security.
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Cybersecurity and cyber-defense are two increasingly important missions in our technology-focused world. In May 2024, the United States’ 12th Airforce began working with 31 countries and 12 dependencies in Latin America and the Caribbean to enhance their cybersecurity and defensibility. This follows a cyberattack at the end of 2023 in which 760 hospitals and businesses were disrupted. While the Caribbean and South America work to improve online defense capabilities, countries across these regions also continue growing their militaries for combat capabilities. (For cybersecurity and other technological interventions, here are 5 different defense startups worth watching.)

Militaries in South America, and Latin America in particular, are not only powerful in terms of personnel and assets; they also play vitally important roles in regional security. Brazil stands out as one of the dominant military powers in the Western hemisphere. With the largest national defense budget in South America, Brazil also owns one of the larger navies in the world. At the same time, recent modernization efforts have helped to further improve Brazil’s military strength, making it easily one of the most powerful nations in the region. (These are the countries with the most military expenditures.)

To determine the countries with the strongest military might in Latin America, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed 2024 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Global Firepower ranked 145 countries based on their PowerIndex, a composite of over 60 measures in categories such as military might, financials, logistical capability, and geography. The smaller the PowerIndex value the more powerful a nation’s theoretical conventional fighting capability is. We included supplemental information regarding active military personnel, military aircraft, vehicles, and naval power as well.

Why Are We Covering This?

Qatar+F-15 | Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) McDonnell Douglas CF-188 "Hornet" - A Canadian Armed Forces CF-18 "Hornet" (official military designation CF-188) (S/N 188741)

Latin America is a region of great strategic importance, encompassing diverse nations with varied military capabilities. The value of this region cannot be understated. The countries making up Latin America hold its security in the balance. Understanding the militaries within Latin America offers context for a broader geopolitical view of military power.

Here is a look at the strongest militaries in Latin America:

19. Belize

Beliz+military | Military people of Belize 2023-04-05

Military strength score (the closer to 0.0000, the more powerful the military capabilities): 3.6437
Active military personnel: 1,650
Total military aircraft: 2
Total military vehicles: 130
Total navy ships and submarines: 8

18. Panama

Military strength score (the closer to 0.0000, the more powerful the military capabilities): 3.3388
Active military personnel: 0
Total military aircraft: 38
Total military vehicles: 524
Total navy ships and submarines: 45

17. El Salvador

Military strength score (the closer to 0.0000, the more powerful the military capabilities): 2.8204
Active military personnel: 25,000
Total military aircraft: 49
Total military vehicles: 1,850
Total navy ships and submarines: 15

16. Dominican Republic

Military strength score (the closer to 0.0000, the more powerful the military capabilities): 2.7431
Active military personnel: 50,000
Total military aircraft: 69
Total military vehicles: 540
Total navy ships and submarines: 34

15. Nicaragua

Military strength score (the closer to 0.0000, the more powerful the military capabilities): 2.4889
Active military personnel: 45,000
Total military aircraft: 17
Total military vehicles: 3,739
Total navy ships and submarines: 23

14. Guatemala

Military boots and camouflage trousers of many soldiers in uniform in a row under the rain and snow

Military strength score (the closer to 0.0000, the more powerful the military capabilities): 2.1301
Active military personnel: 106,114
Total military aircraft: 34
Total military vehicles: 848
Total navy ships and submarines: 25

13. Uruguay

Military strength score (the closer to 0.0000, the more powerful the military capabilities): 1.9695
Active military personnel: 25,000
Total military aircraft: 43
Total military vehicles: 3,993
Total navy ships and submarines: 11

12. Honduras

Military strength score (the closer to 0.0000, the more powerful the military capabilities): 1.9629
Active military personnel: 52,225
Total military aircraft: 44
Total military vehicles: 614
Total navy ships and submarines: 71

11. Paraguay

Military strength score (the closer to 0.0000, the more powerful the military capabilities): 1.7053
Active military personnel: 15,650
Total military aircraft: 41
Total military vehicles: 1,936
Total navy ships and submarines: 0

10. Bolivia

Military strength score (the closer to 0.0000, the more powerful the military capabilities): 1.4851
Active military personnel: 40,000
Total military aircraft: 63
Total military vehicles: 452
Total navy ships and submarines: 0

9. Ecuador

Military strength score (the closer to 0.0000, the more powerful the military capabilities): 1.2388
Active military personnel: 41,250
Total military aircraft: 110
Total military vehicles: 5,662
Total navy ships and submarines: 27

8. Cuba

Military strength score (the closer to 0.0000, the more powerful the military capabilities): 1.1869
Active military personnel: 45,500
Total military aircraft: 81
Total military vehicles: 4,826
Total navy ships and submarines: 24

7. Venezuela

Military strength score (the closer to 0.0000, the more powerful the military capabilities): 0.9447
Active military personnel: 109,000
Total military aircraft: 242
Total military vehicles: 14,966
Total navy ships and submarines: 32

6. Peru

Military strength score (the closer to 0.0000, the more powerful the military capabilities): 0.8475
Active military personnel: 120,000
Total military aircraft: 258
Total military vehicles: 7,896
Total navy ships and submarines: 69

5. Chile

Military strength score (the closer to 0.0000, the more powerful the military capabilities): 0.8128
Active military personnel: 80,000
Total military aircraft: 289
Total military vehicles: 9,492
Total navy ships and submarines: 130

4. Colombia

Military strength score (the closer to 0.0000, the more powerful the military capabilities): 0.7347
Active military personnel: 293,200
Total military aircraft: 434
Total military vehicles: 2,724
Total navy ships and submarines: 237

3. Mexico

Military strength score (the closer to 0.0000, the more powerful the military capabilities): 0.4274
Active military personnel: 412,000
Total military aircraft: 462
Total military vehicles: 17,601
Total navy ships and submarines: 194

2. Argentina

Military strength score (the closer to 0.0000, the more powerful the military capabilities): 0.3823
Active military personnel: 108,000
Total military aircraft: 229
Total military vehicles: 21,724
Total navy ships and submarines: 41

1. Brazil

Military strength score (the closer to 0.0000, the more powerful the military capabilities): 0.1944
Active military personnel: 360,000
Total military aircraft: 628
Total military vehicles: 44,044
Total navy ships and submarines: 134

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