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

South Africa's army fields 2,043 active vehicles — 4.2:1 Eritrea's 488. Additionally, Eritrea has 0 and South Africa has 2,442 vehicles in storage.

Ground forces pillar (ARMS Index) face-off All armies →
Flag of Eritrea EritreaGround pillar #67 48.3
Ground pillar / 100

South Africa leads on 5 of 7 categories

Flag of South Africa South AfricaGround pillar #42 57.5
  • 270 Main battle tanksweight ×10 200
  • 44 Rocket artilleryweight ×8 35+66 stored
  • 45 Self-propelled artilleryweight ×6 52
  • 15 Infantry fighting vehiclesweight ×4 608+486 stored
  • 39 Towed artilleryweight ×3 72+390 stored
  • 35 Armoured personnel carriersweight ×2 1,070+1,500 stored
  • 40 Light armoured vehiclesweight ×2 6
Eritrea 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
Eritrea South Africa Ratio
Total vehicles 488 2,043 🇿🇦 4.2×
In storage 0 2,442 🇿🇦
On order 0 232 🇿🇦
Main battle tanks 270 200 🇪🇷 1.4×
Artillery pieces 128 159 🇿🇦 1.2×
Armoured fighting vehicles 90 1,684 🇿🇦 19×
Active military personnel (all branches) 301,750 65,350 🇪🇷 4.6×
Reserve military personnel (all branches) 0 15,050 🇿🇦
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Infantry fighting vehicles 15 608 🇿🇦 41×
Armoured personnel carriers 35 1,070 🇿🇦 31×
Self-propelled artillery 45 52 🇿🇦 1.2×
Towed artillery 39 72 🇿🇦 1.8×
Rocket artillery 44 35 🇪🇷 1.3×
Backbone vehicles most numerous in service
🇪🇷 EritreaT-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×270BMP-1 ×152S1 Gvozdika ×32
🇿🇦 South AfricaOlifant 1 ×200Casspir ×500
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more armored vehicles, Eritrea or South Africa?
South Africa has a larger ground force with 2,043 vehicles compared to Eritrea's 488 vehicles.
Which country has more tanks, Eritrea or South Africa?
Eritrea operates more main battle tanks with 270 compared to South Africa's 200.
Which army has more infantry fighting vehicles, Eritrea or South Africa?
South Africa has 608 infantry fighting vehicles compared to Eritrea's 15.
Which country has more armored personnel carriers, Eritrea or South Africa?
South Africa operates 1,070 APCs compared to Eritrea's 35.
Which country has more artillery systems, Eritrea or South Africa?
South Africa fields 159 artillery systems (self-propelled, towed, and MLRS) compared to Eritrea's 128.
How do the Eritrea and South Africa armies compare in size?
South Africa's army is 4.2 times larger than Eritrea's in terms of total vehicles (2,043 vs 488).