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

Nigeria operates 2,050 active military vehicles vs 2,043 for South Africa. Additionally, Nigeria has 31 and South Africa has 2,442 vehicles in storage.

Ground forces pillar (ARMS Index) face-off All armies →
Flag of Nigeria NigeriaGround pillar #47 55.0
Ground pillar / 100

South Africa leads on 4 of 7 categories

Flag of South Africa South AfricaGround pillar #42 57.5
  • 299+31 stored Main battle tanksweight ×10 200
  • 25 Rocket artilleryweight ×8 35+66 stored
  • 25 Self-propelled artilleryweight ×6 52
  • 62 Infantry fighting vehiclesweight ×4 608+486 stored
  • 304 Towed artilleryweight ×3 72+390 stored
  • 978 Armoured personnel carriersweight ×2 1,070+1,500 stored
  • 357 Light armoured vehiclesweight ×2 6
Nigeria 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
Nigeria South Africa Ratio
Total vehicles 2,050 2,043 🇳🇬 ≈
In storage 31 2,442 🇿🇦 79×
On order 0 232 🇿🇦
Main battle tanks 299 200 🇳🇬 1.5×
Artillery pieces 354 159 🇳🇬 2.2×
Armoured fighting vehicles 1,397 1,684 🇿🇦 1.2×
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 62 608 🇿🇦 9.8×
Armoured personnel carriers 978 1,070 🇿🇦 1.1×
Self-propelled artillery 25 52 🇿🇦 2.1×
Towed artillery 304 72 🇳🇬 4.2×
Rocket artillery 25 35 🇿🇦 1.4×
Backbone vehicles most numerous in service
🇳🇬 NigeriaVickers Mk.3 ×172BMP-2 ×40BTR-60 ×618
🇿🇦 South AfricaOlifant 1 ×200Casspir ×500
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more armored vehicles, Nigeria or South Africa?
Nigeria has a larger ground force with 2,050 vehicles compared to South Africa's 2,043 vehicles.
Which country has more tanks, Nigeria or South Africa?
Nigeria operates more main battle tanks with 299 compared to South Africa's 200.
Which army has more infantry fighting vehicles, Nigeria or South Africa?
South Africa has 608 infantry fighting vehicles compared to Nigeria's 62.
Which country has more armored personnel carriers, Nigeria or South Africa?
South Africa operates 1,070 APCs compared to Nigeria's 978.
Which country has more artillery systems, Nigeria or South Africa?
Nigeria fields 354 artillery systems (self-propelled, towed, and MLRS) compared to South Africa's 159.