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

Ethiopia operates 2,022 active military vehicles vs 1,637 for South Africa. Additionally, Ethiopia 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 Ethiopia EthiopiaWorld #37 23.3
ARMS Index / 100

Ethiopia leads on 5 of 8 categories

Flag of South Africa South AfricaWorld #53 18.6
  • 410 Main battle tanksweight ×10 · era 70+133 stored
  • 79 Rocket artilleryweight ×8 · era 6+45 stored
  • 142 Self-propelled artilleryweight ×6 · era 15+31 stored
  • 20 Infantry fighting vehiclesweight ×4 · era 556+600 stored
  • 887 Towed artilleryweight ×3 · era 6+141 stored
  • 152 Armoured personnel carriersweight ×2 · era 0
  • 82 Light armoured vehiclesweight ×2 · era 50+124 stored
  • 250 Protected mobility vehiclesweight ×0.5 · era 934+1,500 stored
Ethiopia 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
Ethiopia South Africa Ratio
Total vehicles 2,022 1,637 🇪🇹 1.2×
In storage 0 2,574 🇿🇦
On order 0 222 🇿🇦
Main battle tanks 410 70 🇪🇹 5.9×
Artillery pieces 1,108 27 🇪🇹 41×
Armoured fighting vehicles 504 1,540 🇿🇦 3.1×
Active military personnel (all branches) 503,000 65,350 🇪🇹 7.7×
Reserve military personnel (all branches) 0 15,050 🇿🇦
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Infantry fighting vehicles 20 556 🇿🇦 28×
Armoured personnel carriers 152 0 🇪🇹
Self-propelled artillery 142 15 🇪🇹 9.5×
Towed artillery 887 6 🇪🇹 148×
Rocket artillery 79 6 🇪🇹 13×
Backbone vehicles most numerous in service
🇪🇹 EthiopiaT-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×240BMP-1 ×202S1 Gvozdika ×82
🇿🇦 South AfricaOlifant 1 ×70
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South Africa vsMoroccoNigeriaEgyptTunisiaAlgeria

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more armored vehicles, Ethiopia or South Africa?
Ethiopia has a larger ground force with 2,022 vehicles compared to South Africa's 1,637 vehicles.
Which country has more tanks, Ethiopia or South Africa?
Ethiopia operates more main battle tanks with 410 compared to South Africa's 70.
Which army has more infantry fighting vehicles, Ethiopia or South Africa?
South Africa has 556 infantry fighting vehicles compared to Ethiopia's 20.
Which country has more armored personnel carriers, Ethiopia or South Africa?
Ethiopia operates 152 APCs compared to South Africa's 0.
Which country has more artillery systems, Ethiopia or South Africa?
Ethiopia fields 1,108 artillery systems (self-propelled, towed, and MLRS) compared to South Africa's 27.