Two Countries That Would Love to Overtake the US Military

24/7 Wall St. Insights

We used data from the 2024 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries.
The world’s strongest militaries possess diverse capabilities and strengths but also have some commonalities.
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What makes a strong military? There are many factors to consider, but some of the highlights are combat readiness, adequate modern, well-maintained equipment, training, strategy, mobility, and a sustained and sufficient amount of support. Becoming a world power is an expensive and relentless endeavor that requires focus and planning at all times. The United States is known as the top military power in the world with its large and well-equipped armed forces. Additionally, Russia is another superpower holding second place behind the U.S. Russia holds extensive land power and a technologically advanced arsenal.

Rounding out the top three is China, which has been investing heavily in modernizing its military, specifically its navy. As the third most potent military in the world, the People’s Liberation Army is focused on expanding its capabilities regionally and beyond. Recently, China’s production of new aircraft carriers and a series of support ships has been a prime directive.

24/7 Wall St. took a deep dive into identifying the 30 countries with the strongest military forces. We compiled data from the 2024 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. This report ranked 145 countries based on PowerIndex, a combination of over 60 categories, including military power, logistical capability, geography, and financial strength. The lower the PowerIndex value score, the more powerful a nation’s theoretical conventional fighting capability.

The world’s strongest militaries possess diverse capabilities and strengths but also have some commonalities. Notably, countries towards the top of this have much larger military budgets and tend to have much larger air forces.

Why We’re Writing About World Militaries

World map, Earth flat view. Detailed World physical map in satellite photo. Panoramic planet map with texture surface and ocean. Globe and planisphere theme. Elements of this image furnished by NASA.

Countries with powerful military forces exert considerable influence over global events. These are the countries whose cooperation is needed to solve world problems. 24/7 Wall St. wants its readers to be aware of which countries have the strongest influence over global issues.

Here is a look at the strongest militaries in the world.

30. Singapore

Military strength score: 0.4087
Active military personnel: 51,000
Total military aircraft: 247
Total military vehicles: 8,318
Total navy ships and submarines: 43

29. Sweden

Military strength score: 0.4009
Active military personnel: 24,400
Total military aircraft: 212
Total military vehicles: 7,958
Total navy ships and submarines: 353

28. Argentina

Military strength score: 0.3823
Active military personnel: 108,000
Total military aircraft: 229
Total military vehicles: 21,724
Total navy ships and submarines: 41

27. Canada

Military strength score: 0.3813
Active military personnel: 68,000
Total military aircraft: 375
Total military vehicles: 18,054
Total navy ships and submarines: 67

26. Algeria

Military strength score: 0.3589
Active military personnel: 325,000
Total military aircraft: 605
Total military vehicles: 35,990
Total navy ships and submarines: 213

25. Thailand

Military strength score: 0.3389
Active military personnel: 360,850
Total military aircraft: 501
Total military vehicles: 14,040
Total navy ships and submarines: 293

24. Taiwan

Military strength score: 0.3302
Active military personnel: 215,000
Total military aircraft: 750
Total military vehicles: 19,868
Total navy ships and submarines: 93

23. Saudi Arabia

Military strength score: 0.3235
Active military personnel: 257,000
Total military aircraft: 914
Total military vehicles: 20,694
Total navy ships and submarines: 57

22. Vietnam

Military strength score: 0.3158
Active military personnel: 600,000
Total military aircraft: 226
Total military vehicles: 18,578
Total navy ships and submarines: 97

21. Poland

Military strength score: 0.2917
Active military personnel: 202,100
Total military aircraft: 468
Total military vehicles: 13,956
Total navy ships and submarines: 45

20. Spain

Military strength score: 0.2882
Active military personnel: 133,282
Total military aircraft: 513
Total military vehicles: 15,046
Total navy ships and submarines: 168

19. Germany

Military strength score: 0.2847
Active military personnel: 181,600
Total military aircraft: 618
Total military vehicles: 79,317
Total navy ships and submarines: 64

18. Ukraine

Military strength score: 0.2598
Active military personnel: 900,000
Total military aircraft: 321
Total military vehicles: 22,110
Total navy ships and submarines: 104

17. Israel

Military strength score: 0.2596
Active military personnel: 170,000
Total military aircraft: 612
Total military vehicles: 43,407
Total navy ships and submarines: 67

16. Australia

Military strength score: 0.2515
Active military personnel: 57,350
Total military aircraft: 325
Total military vehicles: 16,162
Total navy ships and submarines: 43

15. Egypt

Military strength score: 0.2283
Active military personnel: 440,000
Total military aircraft: 1,080
Total military vehicles: 77,596
Total navy ships and submarines: 140

14. Iran

Military strength score: 0.2269
Active military personnel: 610,000
Total military aircraft: 551
Total military vehicles: 65,765
Total navy ships and submarines: 101

13. Indonesia

Military strength score: 0.2251
Active military personnel: 400,000
Total military aircraft: 474
Total military vehicles: 11,604
Total navy ships and submarines: 333

12. Brazil

Military strength score: 0.1944
Active military personnel: 360,000
Total military aircraft: 628
Total military vehicles: 44,044
Total navy ships and submarines: 134

11. France

Military strength score: 0.1878
Active military personnel: 200,000
Total military aircraft: 972
Total military vehicles: 85,023
Total navy ships and submarines: 128

10. Italy

Military strength score: 0.1863
Active military personnel: 165,500
Total military aircraft: 800
Total military vehicles: 61,892
Total navy ships and submarines: 309

9. Pakistan

Military strength score: 0.1711
Active military personnel: 654,000
Total military aircraft: 1,434
Total military vehicles: 50,523
Total navy ships and submarines: 114

8. Turkey

Military strength score: 0.1697
Active military personnel: 355,200
Total military aircraft: 1,069
Total military vehicles: 55,104
Total navy ships and submarines: 186

7. Japan

Military strength score: 0.1601
Active military personnel: 247,150
Total military aircraft: 1,459
Total military vehicles: 37,662
Total navy ships and submarines: 155

6. United Kingdom

Military strength score: 0.1443
Active military personnel: 184,860
Total military aircraft: 664
Total military vehicles: 27,203
Total navy ships and submarines: 117

5. South Korea

Military strength score: 0.1416
Active military personnel: 600,000
Total military aircraft: 1,576
Total military vehicles: 66,492
Total navy ships and submarines: 200

4. India

Military strength score: 0.1023
Active military personnel: 1,455,550
Total military aircraft: 2,296
Total military vehicles: 151,248
Total navy ships and submarines: 294

3. China

Military strength score: 0.0706
Active military personnel: 2,035,000
Total military aircraft: 3,304
Total military vehicles: 174,300
Total navy ships and submarines: 730

2. Russia

Military strength score: 0.0702
Active military personnel: 1,320,000
Total military aircraft: 4,255
Total military vehicles: 161,382
Total navy ships and submarines: 781

1. United States

Military strength score: 0.0699
Active military personnel: 1,328,000
Total military aircraft: 13,209
Total military vehicles: 360,069
Total navy ships and submarines: 472

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