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Army comparison: Flag of Algeria Algeria vs Flag of South Africa South Africa

Algeria's army fields 7,407 active vehicles — 3.6:1 South Africa's 2,043. Additionally, Algeria has 0 and South Africa has 2,442 vehicles in storage.

Ground forces pillar (ARMS Index) face-off All armies →
Flag of Algeria AlgeriaGround pillar #13 69.8
Ground pillar / 100

Algeria leads on 6 of 7 categories

Flag of South Africa South AfricaGround pillar #42 57.5
  • 1,485 Main battle tanksweight ×10 200
  • 118 Rocket artilleryweight ×8 35+66 stored
  • 194 Self-propelled artilleryweight ×6 52
  • 980 Infantry fighting vehiclesweight ×4 608+486 stored
  • 170 Towed artilleryweight ×3 72+390 stored
  • 4,434 Armoured personnel carriersweight ×2 1,070+1,500 stored
  • 26 Light armoured vehiclesweight ×2 6
Algeria South Africa Bars: weighted contribution to the ARMS ground pillar (vehicles × category weight, active + 0.3 × stored) · figures: active vehicles at each side's latest inventory year · Methodology
Key figures as of 2026
Algeria South Africa Ratio
Total vehicles 7,407 2,043 🇩🇿 3.6×
In storage 0 2,442 🇿🇦
On order 0 232 🇿🇦
Main battle tanks 1,485 200 🇩🇿 7.4×
Artillery pieces 482 159 🇩🇿 3.0×
Armoured fighting vehicles 5,440 1,684 🇩🇿 3.2×
Active military personnel (all branches) 130,000 65,350 🇩🇿 2.0×
Reserve military personnel (all branches) 150,000 15,050 🇩🇿 10.0×
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Infantry fighting vehicles 980 608 🇩🇿 1.6×
Armoured personnel carriers 4,434 1,070 🇩🇿 4.1×
Self-propelled artillery 194 52 🇩🇿 3.7×
Towed artillery 170 72 🇩🇿 2.4×
Rocket artillery 118 35 🇩🇿 3.4×
Backbone vehicles most numerous in service
🇩🇿 AlgeriaT-90 ×600BMP-2 ×9802S1 Gvozdika ×140
🇿🇦 South AfricaOlifant 1 ×200Casspir ×500
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more armored vehicles, Algeria or South Africa?
Algeria has a larger ground force with 7,407 vehicles compared to South Africa's 2,043 vehicles.
Which country has more tanks, Algeria or South Africa?
Algeria operates more main battle tanks with 1,485 compared to South Africa's 200.
Which army has more infantry fighting vehicles, Algeria or South Africa?
Algeria has 980 infantry fighting vehicles compared to South Africa's 608.
Which country has more armored personnel carriers, Algeria or South Africa?
Algeria operates 4,434 APCs compared to South Africa's 1,070.
Which country has more artillery systems, Algeria or South Africa?
Algeria fields 482 artillery systems (self-propelled, towed, and MLRS) compared to South Africa's 159.
How do the Algeria and South Africa armies compare in size?
Algeria's army is 3.6 times larger than South Africa's in terms of total vehicles (7,407 vs 2,043).