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

South Africa's army fields 1,637 active vehicles — 3.4:1 Eritrea's 488. Additionally, Eritrea 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 Eritrea EritreaWorld #51 18.7
ARMS Index / 100

Eritrea leads overall, ahead on 2 of 8 categories

Flag of South Africa South AfricaWorld #53 18.6
  • 270 Main battle tanksweight ×10 · era 70+133 stored
  • 44 Rocket artilleryweight ×8 · era 6+45 stored
  • 45 Self-propelled artilleryweight ×6 · era 15+31 stored
  • 15 Infantry fighting vehiclesweight ×4 · era 556+600 stored
  • 39 Towed artilleryweight ×3 · era 6+141 stored
  • 35 Armoured personnel carriersweight ×2 · era 0
  • 40 Light armoured vehiclesweight ×2 · era 50+124 stored
  • 0 Protected mobility vehiclesweight ×0.5 · era 934+1,500 stored
Eritrea 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
Eritrea South Africa Ratio
Total vehicles 488 1,637 🇿🇦 3.4×
In storage 0 2,574 🇿🇦
On order 0 222 🇿🇦
Main battle tanks 270 70 🇪🇷 3.9×
Artillery pieces 128 27 🇪🇷 4.7×
Armoured fighting vehicles 90 1,540 🇿🇦 17×
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 15 556 🇿🇦 37×
Armoured personnel carriers 35 0 🇪🇷
Self-propelled artillery 45 15 🇪🇷 3.0×
Towed artillery 39 6 🇪🇷 6.5×
Rocket artillery 44 6 🇪🇷 7.3×
Backbone vehicles most numerous in service
🇪🇷 EritreaT-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×270BMP-1 ×152S1 Gvozdika ×32
🇿🇦 South AfricaOlifant 1 ×70
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South Africa vsMoroccoNigeriaEgyptTunisiaAlgeria

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more armored vehicles, Eritrea or South Africa?
South Africa has a larger ground force with 1,637 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 70.
Which army has more infantry fighting vehicles, Eritrea or South Africa?
South Africa has 556 infantry fighting vehicles compared to Eritrea's 15.
Which country has more armored personnel carriers, Eritrea or South Africa?
Eritrea operates 35 APCs compared to South Africa's 0.
Which country has more artillery systems, Eritrea or South Africa?
Eritrea fields 128 artillery systems (self-propelled, towed, and MLRS) compared to South Africa's 27.
How do the Eritrea and South Africa armies compare in size?
South Africa's army is 3.4 times larger than Eritrea's in terms of total vehicles (1,637 vs 488).