GlobalMilitary.net Open-source military intelligence Updated daily
Head-to-head

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

Egypt's army fields 9,564 active vehicles — 5.8:1 South Africa's 1,637. Additionally, Egypt has 122 and South Africa has 2,574 vehicles in storage.

ARMS (Armour and Manpower Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Egypt EgyptWorld #9 41.7
ARMS Index / 100

Egypt leads on 7 of 8 categories

Flag of South Africa South AfricaWorld #53 18.6
  • 2,000 Main battle tanksweight ×10 · era 70+133 stored
  • 340 Rocket artilleryweight ×8 · era 6+45 stored
  • 519 Self-propelled artilleryweight ×6 · era 15+31 stored
  • 690 Infantry fighting vehiclesweight ×4 · era 556+600 stored
  • 436+122 stored Towed artilleryweight ×3 · era 6+141 stored
  • 4,010 Armoured personnel carriersweight ×2 · era 0
  • 412 Light armoured vehiclesweight ×2 · era 50+124 stored
  • 1,157 Protected mobility vehiclesweight ×0.5 · era 934+1,500 stored
Egypt 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
Egypt South Africa Ratio
Total vehicles 9,564 1,637 🇪🇬 5.8×
In storage 122 2,574 🇿🇦 21×
On order 210 222 🇿🇦 1.1×
Main battle tanks 2,000 70 🇪🇬 29×
Artillery pieces 1,295 27 🇪🇬 48×
Armoured fighting vehicles 6,269 1,540 🇪🇬 4.1×
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 690 556 🇪🇬 1.2×
Armoured personnel carriers 4,010 0 🇪🇬
Self-propelled artillery 519 15 🇪🇬 35×
Towed artillery 436 6 🇪🇬 73×
Rocket artillery 340 6 🇪🇬 57×
Backbone vehicles most numerous in service
🇪🇬 EgyptM1 Abrams ×1,300YPR-765 ×390M109 Paladin ×325
🇿🇦 South AfricaOlifant 1 ×70
Explore this matchup
Go deeper · same matchup, other lenses
Military strength Air forces Navies Ranks & insignia
Change opponent
Egypt vsTurkeyAlgeriaMoroccoNigeriaTunisia
South Africa vsMoroccoNigeriaAlgeriaTunisiaEthiopia

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more armored vehicles, Egypt or South Africa?
Egypt has a larger ground force with 9,564 vehicles compared to South Africa's 1,637 vehicles.
Which country has more tanks, Egypt or South Africa?
Egypt operates more main battle tanks with 2,000 compared to South Africa's 70.
Which army has more infantry fighting vehicles, Egypt or South Africa?
Egypt has 690 infantry fighting vehicles compared to South Africa's 556.
Which country has more armored personnel carriers, Egypt or South Africa?
Egypt operates 4,010 APCs compared to South Africa's 0.
Which country has more artillery systems, Egypt or South Africa?
Egypt fields 1,295 artillery systems (self-propelled, towed, and MLRS) compared to South Africa's 27.
How do the Egypt and South Africa armies compare in size?
Egypt's army is 5.8 times larger than South Africa's in terms of total vehicles (9,564 vs 1,637).