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

Egypt's army fields 9,808 active vehicles — 4.8:1 South Africa's 2,043. Additionally, Egypt has 122 and South Africa has 2,442 vehicles in storage.

Ground forces pillar (ARMS Index) face-off All armies →
Flag of Egypt EgyptGround pillar #9 73.2
Ground pillar / 100

Egypt leads on 6 of 7 categories

Flag of South Africa South AfricaGround pillar #42 57.5
  • 2,000 Main battle tanksweight ×10 200
  • 340 Rocket artilleryweight ×8 35+66 stored
  • 513 Self-propelled artilleryweight ×6 52
  • 690 Infantry fighting vehiclesweight ×4 608+486 stored
  • 436+122 stored Towed artilleryweight ×3 72+390 stored
  • 5,417 Armoured personnel carriersweight ×2 1,070+1,500 stored
  • 412 Light armoured vehiclesweight ×2 6
Egypt 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
Egypt South Africa Ratio
Total vehicles 9,808 2,043 🇪🇬 4.8×
In storage 122 2,442 🇿🇦 20×
On order 216 232 🇿🇦 1.1×
Main battle tanks 2,000 200 🇪🇬 10×
Artillery pieces 1,289 159 🇪🇬 8.1×
Armoured fighting vehicles 6,519 1,684 🇪🇬 3.9×
Active military personnel (all branches) 438,500 65,350 🇪🇬 6.7×
Reserve military personnel (all branches) 479,000 15,050 🇪🇬 32×
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Infantry fighting vehicles 690 608 🇪🇬 1.1×
Armoured personnel carriers 5,417 1,070 🇪🇬 5.1×
Self-propelled artillery 513 52 🇪🇬 9.9×
Towed artillery 436 72 🇪🇬 6.1×
Rocket artillery 340 35 🇪🇬 9.7×
Backbone vehicles most numerous in service
🇪🇬 EgyptM1 Abrams ×1,300YPR-765 ×390M109 Paladin ×325
🇿🇦 South AfricaOlifant 1 ×200Casspir ×500
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more armored vehicles, Egypt or South Africa?
Egypt has a larger ground force with 9,808 vehicles compared to South Africa's 2,043 vehicles.
Which country has more tanks, Egypt or South Africa?
Egypt operates more main battle tanks with 2,000 compared to South Africa's 200.
Which army has more infantry fighting vehicles, Egypt or South Africa?
Egypt has 690 infantry fighting vehicles compared to South Africa's 608.
Which country has more armored personnel carriers, Egypt or South Africa?
Egypt operates 5,417 APCs compared to South Africa's 1,070.
Which country has more artillery systems, Egypt or South Africa?
Egypt fields 1,289 artillery systems (self-propelled, towed, and MLRS) compared to South Africa's 159.
How do the Egypt and South Africa armies compare in size?
Egypt's army is 4.8 times larger than South Africa's in terms of total vehicles (9,808 vs 2,043).