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Army comparison: Flag of South Korea South Korea vs Flag of United States United States

United States's army fields 168,979 active vehicles — 13:1 South Korea's 13,232. Additionally, South Korea has 3,400 and United States has 13,650 vehicles in storage.

ARMS (Armour and Manpower Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of South Korea South KoreaWorld #4 61.0
ARMS Index / 100

United States leads overall, ahead on 3 of 8 categories

Flag of United States United StatesWorld #1 100.0
  • 1,814 Main battle tanksweight ×10 · era 2,666+2,000 stored
  • 465 Rocket artilleryweight ×8 · era 552
  • 2,480 Self-propelled artilleryweight ×6 · era 670+850 stored
  • 536 Infantry fighting vehiclesweight ×4 · era 7,724+2,800 stored
  • 2,800+3,000 stored Towed artilleryweight ×3 · era 1,212
  • 3,127+400 stored Armoured personnel carriersweight ×2 · era 5,250+8,000 stored
  • 10 Light armoured vehiclesweight ×2 · era 0
  • 2,000 Protected mobility vehiclesweight ×0.5 · era 150,905
South Korea United States 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
South Korea United States Ratio
Total vehicles 13,232 168,979 🇺🇸 13×
In storage 3,400 13,650 🇺🇸 4.0×
On order 870 13,273 🇺🇸 15×
Main battle tanks 1,814 2,666 🇺🇸 1.5×
Artillery pieces 5,745 2,434 🇰🇷 2.4×
Armoured fighting vehicles 5,673 163,879 🇺🇸 29×
Active military personnel (all branches) 500,000 1,326,050 🇺🇸 2.7×
Reserve military personnel (all branches) 3,100,000 806,700 🇰🇷 3.8×
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Infantry fighting vehicles 536 7,724 🇺🇸 14×
Armoured personnel carriers 3,127 5,250 🇺🇸 1.7×
Self-propelled artillery 2,480 670 🇰🇷 3.7×
Towed artillery 2,800 1,212 🇰🇷 2.3×
Rocket artillery 465 552 🇺🇸 1.2×
Backbone vehicles most numerous in service
🇰🇷 South KoreaK1A1 Rokit ×1,511K21 ×466K9 Thunder ×1,240
🇺🇸 United StatesM1 Abrams ×2,640IAV Stryker ×4,214M109 Paladin ×670
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more armored vehicles, South Korea or United States?
United States has a larger ground force with 168,979 vehicles compared to South Korea's 13,232 vehicles.
Which country has more tanks, South Korea or United States?
United States operates more main battle tanks with 2,666 compared to South Korea's 1,814.
Which army has more infantry fighting vehicles, South Korea or United States?
United States has 7,724 infantry fighting vehicles compared to South Korea's 536.
Which country has more armored personnel carriers, South Korea or United States?
United States operates 5,250 APCs compared to South Korea's 3,127.
Which country has more artillery systems, South Korea or United States?
South Korea fields 5,745 artillery systems (self-propelled, towed, and MLRS) compared to United States's 2,434.
How do the South Korea and United States armies compare in size?
United States's army is 12.8 times larger than South Korea's in terms of total vehicles (168,979 vs 13,232).