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

India's army fields 15,413 active vehicles — 7.5:1 South Africa's 2,043. Additionally, India has 0 and South Africa has 2,442 vehicles in storage.

ARMS (Armour and Manpower Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of India IndiaWorld #4 59.1
ARMS Index / 100

India leads on 7 of 8 categories

Flag of South Africa South AfricaWorld #44 19.1
  • 3,854 Main battle tanksweight ×10 · era 200
  • 318 Rocket artilleryweight ×8 · era 35+66 stored
  • 100 Self-propelled artilleryweight ×6 · era 52
  • 2,415 Infantry fighting vehiclesweight ×4 · era 608+486 stored
  • 4,400 Towed artilleryweight ×3 · era 72+390 stored
  • 86 Armoured personnel carriersweight ×2 · era 0
  • 0 Light armoured vehiclesweight ×2 · era 6
  • 4,240 Protected mobility vehiclesweight ×0.5 · era 1,070+1,500 stored
India 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
India South Africa Ratio
Total vehicles 15,413 2,043 🇮🇳 7.5×
In storage 0 2,442 🇿🇦
On order 854 232 🇮🇳 3.7×
Main battle tanks 3,854 200 🇮🇳 19×
Artillery pieces 4,818 159 🇮🇳 30×
Armoured fighting vehicles 6,741 1,684 🇮🇳 4.0×
Active military personnel (all branches) 1,475,750 65,350 🇮🇳 23×
Reserve military personnel (all branches) 1,155,000 15,050 🇮🇳 77×
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Infantry fighting vehicles 2,415 608 🇮🇳 4.0×
Armoured personnel carriers 86 0 🇮🇳
Self-propelled artillery 100 52 🇮🇳 1.9×
Towed artillery 4,400 72 🇮🇳 61×
Rocket artillery 318 35 🇮🇳 9.1×
Backbone vehicles most numerous in service
🇮🇳 IndiaT-72 ×2,418BMP-2 ×2,400K9 Thunder ×100
🇿🇦 South AfricaOlifant 1 ×200
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India vsChinaUnited StatesPakistanRussiaTurkey
South Africa vsMoroccoNigeriaEgyptEthiopiaAlgeria

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more armored vehicles, India or South Africa?
India has a larger ground force with 15,413 vehicles compared to South Africa's 2,043 vehicles.
Which country has more tanks, India or South Africa?
India operates more main battle tanks with 3,854 compared to South Africa's 200.
Which army has more infantry fighting vehicles, India or South Africa?
India has 2,415 infantry fighting vehicles compared to South Africa's 608.
Which country has more armored personnel carriers, India or South Africa?
India operates 86 APCs compared to South Africa's 0.
Which country has more artillery systems, India or South Africa?
India fields 4,818 artillery systems (self-propelled, towed, and MLRS) compared to South Africa's 159.
How do the India and South Africa armies compare in size?
India's army is 7.5 times larger than South Africa's in terms of total vehicles (15,413 vs 2,043).