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

Algeria's army fields 8,195 active vehicles — 5.0:1 South Africa's 1,637. Additionally, Algeria has 0 and South Africa has 2,574 vehicles in storage.

ARMS (Armour and Manpower Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Algeria AlgeriaWorld #13 37.2
ARMS Index / 100

Algeria leads on 7 of 8 categories

Flag of South Africa South AfricaWorld #53 18.6
  • 1,485 Main battle tanksweight ×10 · era 70+133 stored
  • 188 Rocket artilleryweight ×8 · era 6+45 stored
  • 224 Self-propelled artilleryweight ×6 · era 15+31 stored
  • 980 Infantry fighting vehiclesweight ×4 · era 556+600 stored
  • 483 Towed artilleryweight ×3 · era 6+141 stored
  • 1,639 Armoured personnel carriersweight ×2 · era 0
  • 96 Light armoured vehiclesweight ×2 · era 50+124 stored
  • 3,100 Protected mobility vehiclesweight ×0.5 · era 934+1,500 stored
Algeria South Africa Bars: weighted contribution to the ARMS Index (vehicles × category weight × era, active + 0.3 × stored; manpower and the rotary, armament and availability multipliers apply on top) · figures: active vehicles at each side's latest inventory year · Methodology
Key figures as of 2026
Algeria South Africa Ratio
Total vehicles 8,195 1,637 🇩🇿 5.0×
In storage 0 2,574 🇿🇦
On order 0 222 🇿🇦
Main battle tanks 1,485 70 🇩🇿 21×
Artillery pieces 895 27 🇩🇿 33×
Armoured fighting vehicles 5,815 1,540 🇩🇿 3.8×
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 980 556 🇩🇿 1.8×
Armoured personnel carriers 1,639 0 🇩🇿
Self-propelled artillery 224 15 🇩🇿 15×
Towed artillery 483 6 🇩🇿 80×
Rocket artillery 188 6 🇩🇿 31×
Backbone vehicles most numerous in service
🇩🇿 AlgeriaT-90 ×600BMP-2 ×9802S1 Gvozdika ×140
🇿🇦 South AfricaOlifant 1 ×70
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South Africa vsMoroccoNigeriaEgyptTunisiaEthiopia

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more armored vehicles, Algeria or South Africa?
Algeria has a larger ground force with 8,195 vehicles compared to South Africa's 1,637 vehicles.
Which country has more tanks, Algeria or South Africa?
Algeria operates more main battle tanks with 1,485 compared to South Africa's 70.
Which army has more infantry fighting vehicles, Algeria or South Africa?
Algeria has 980 infantry fighting vehicles compared to South Africa's 556.
Which country has more armored personnel carriers, Algeria or South Africa?
Algeria operates 1,639 APCs compared to South Africa's 0.
Which country has more artillery systems, Algeria or South Africa?
Algeria fields 895 artillery systems (self-propelled, towed, and MLRS) compared to South Africa's 27.
How do the Algeria and South Africa armies compare in size?
Algeria's army is 5.0 times larger than South Africa's in terms of total vehicles (8,195 vs 1,637).