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

South Africa's army fields 2,043 active vehicles — 2.7:1 Kenya's 766. Additionally, Kenya has 0 and South Africa has 2,442 vehicles in storage.

Ground forces pillar (ARMS Index) face-off All armies →
Flag of Kenya KenyaGround pillar #74 47.0
Ground pillar / 100

South Africa leads on 6 of 7 categories

Flag of South Africa South AfricaGround pillar #42 57.5
  • 188 Main battle tanksweight ×10 200
  • 0 Rocket artilleryweight ×8 35+66 stored
  • 18 Self-propelled artilleryweight ×6 52
  • 0 Infantry fighting vehiclesweight ×4 608+486 stored
  • 53 Towed artilleryweight ×3 72+390 stored
  • 109 Armoured personnel carriersweight ×2 1,070+1,500 stored
  • 398 Light armoured vehiclesweight ×2 6
Kenya 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
Kenya South Africa Ratio
Total vehicles 766 2,043 🇿🇦 2.7×
In storage 0 2,442 🇿🇦
On order 0 232 🇿🇦
Main battle tanks 188 200 🇿🇦 1.1×
Artillery pieces 71 159 🇿🇦 2.2×
Armoured fighting vehicles 507 1,684 🇿🇦 3.3×
Active military personnel (all branches) 24,100 65,350 🇿🇦 2.7×
Reserve military personnel (all branches) 0 15,050 🇿🇦
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Infantry fighting vehicles 0 608 🇿🇦
Armoured personnel carriers 109 1,070 🇿🇦 9.8×
Self-propelled artillery 18 52 🇿🇦 2.9×
Towed artillery 53 72 🇿🇦 1.4×
Rocket artillery 0 35 🇿🇦
Backbone vehicles most numerous in service
🇰🇪 KenyaT-72 ×110Nora B-52 ×18UR-416 ×52
🇿🇦 South AfricaOlifant 1 ×200Casspir ×500
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more armored vehicles, Kenya or South Africa?
South Africa has a larger ground force with 2,043 vehicles compared to Kenya's 766 vehicles.
Which country has more tanks, Kenya or South Africa?
South Africa operates more main battle tanks with 200 compared to Kenya's 188.
Which army has more infantry fighting vehicles, Kenya or South Africa?
South Africa has 608 infantry fighting vehicles compared to Kenya's 0.
Which country has more armored personnel carriers, Kenya or South Africa?
South Africa operates 1,070 APCs compared to Kenya's 109.
Which country has more artillery systems, Kenya or South Africa?
South Africa fields 159 artillery systems (self-propelled, towed, and MLRS) compared to Kenya's 71.
How do the Kenya and South Africa armies compare in size?
South Africa's army is 2.7 times larger than Kenya's in terms of total vehicles (2,043 vs 766).