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

Ethiopia's army fields 4,753 active vehicles — 2.3:1 South Africa's 2,043. Additionally, Ethiopia has 0 and South Africa has 2,442 vehicles in storage.

Ground forces pillar (ARMS Index) face-off All armies →
Flag of Ethiopia EthiopiaGround pillar #20 67.1
Ground pillar / 100

Ethiopia leads on 5 of 7 categories

Flag of South Africa South AfricaGround pillar #42 57.5
  • 1,531 Main battle tanksweight ×10 200
  • 79 Rocket artilleryweight ×8 35+66 stored
  • 142 Self-propelled artilleryweight ×6 52
  • 20 Infantry fighting vehiclesweight ×4 608+486 stored
  • 887 Towed artilleryweight ×3 72+390 stored
  • 622 Armoured personnel carriersweight ×2 1,070+1,500 stored
  • 1,472 Light armoured vehiclesweight ×2 6
Ethiopia 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
Ethiopia South Africa Ratio
Total vehicles 4,753 2,043 🇪🇹 2.3×
In storage 0 2,442 🇿🇦
On order 0 232 🇿🇦
Main battle tanks 1,531 200 🇪🇹 7.7×
Artillery pieces 1,108 159 🇪🇹 7.0×
Armoured fighting vehicles 2,114 1,684 🇪🇹 1.3×
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 20 608 🇿🇦 30×
Armoured personnel carriers 622 1,070 🇿🇦 1.7×
Self-propelled artillery 142 52 🇪🇹 2.7×
Towed artillery 887 72 🇪🇹 12×
Rocket artillery 79 35 🇪🇹 2.3×
Backbone vehicles most numerous in service
🇪🇹 EthiopiaT-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×1,190BMP-1 ×202S1 Gvozdika ×82
🇿🇦 South AfricaOlifant 1 ×200Casspir ×500
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more armored vehicles, Ethiopia or South Africa?
Ethiopia has a larger ground force with 4,753 vehicles compared to South Africa's 2,043 vehicles.
Which country has more tanks, Ethiopia or South Africa?
Ethiopia operates more main battle tanks with 1,531 compared to South Africa's 200.
Which army has more infantry fighting vehicles, Ethiopia or South Africa?
South Africa has 608 infantry fighting vehicles compared to Ethiopia's 20.
Which country has more armored personnel carriers, Ethiopia or South Africa?
South Africa operates 1,070 APCs compared to Ethiopia's 622.
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 159.
How do the Ethiopia and South Africa armies compare in size?
Ethiopia's army is 2.3 times larger than South Africa's in terms of total vehicles (4,753 vs 2,043).