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

Nigeria operates 2,732 active military vehicles vs 1,637 for South Africa. Additionally, Nigeria 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 Nigeria NigeriaWorld #42 20.3
ARMS Index / 100

Nigeria leads on 6 of 8 categories

Flag of South Africa South AfricaWorld #53 18.6
  • 330 Main battle tanksweight ×10 · era 70+133 stored
  • 37 Rocket artilleryweight ×8 · era 6+45 stored
  • 40 Self-propelled artilleryweight ×6 · era 15+31 stored
  • 62 Infantry fighting vehiclesweight ×4 · era 556+600 stored
  • 315 Towed artilleryweight ×3 · era 6+141 stored
  • 558 Armoured personnel carriersweight ×2 · era 0
  • 514 Light armoured vehiclesweight ×2 · era 50+124 stored
  • 876 Protected mobility vehiclesweight ×0.5 · era 934+1,500 stored
Nigeria 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
Nigeria South Africa Ratio
Total vehicles 2,732 1,637 🇳🇬 1.7×
In storage 0 2,574 🇿🇦
On order 0 222 🇿🇦
Main battle tanks 330 70 🇳🇬 4.7×
Artillery pieces 392 27 🇳🇬 15×
Armoured fighting vehicles 2,010 1,540 🇳🇬 1.3×
Active military personnel (all branches) 143,000 65,350 🇳🇬 2.2×
Reserve military personnel (all branches) 0 15,050 🇿🇦
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Infantry fighting vehicles 62 556 🇿🇦 9.0×
Armoured personnel carriers 558 0 🇳🇬
Self-propelled artillery 40 15 🇳🇬 2.7×
Towed artillery 315 6 🇳🇬 52×
Rocket artillery 37 6 🇳🇬 6.2×
Backbone vehicles most numerous in service
🇳🇬 NigeriaVickers Mk.3 ×172BMP-2 ×40MT-LB ×67
🇿🇦 South AfricaOlifant 1 ×70
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South Africa vsMoroccoTunisiaEgyptEthiopiaAlgeria

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more armored vehicles, Nigeria or South Africa?
Nigeria has a larger ground force with 2,732 vehicles compared to South Africa's 1,637 vehicles.
Which country has more tanks, Nigeria or South Africa?
Nigeria operates more main battle tanks with 330 compared to South Africa's 70.
Which army has more infantry fighting vehicles, Nigeria or South Africa?
South Africa has 556 infantry fighting vehicles compared to Nigeria's 62.
Which country has more armored personnel carriers, Nigeria or South Africa?
Nigeria operates 558 APCs compared to South Africa's 0.
Which country has more artillery systems, Nigeria or South Africa?
Nigeria fields 392 artillery systems (self-propelled, towed, and MLRS) compared to South Africa's 27.
How do the Nigeria and South Africa armies compare in size?
Nigeria's army is 1.7 times larger than South Africa's in terms of total vehicles (2,732 vs 1,637).