| BRICS | NATO | |
|---|---|---|
| Combined Military Index | 91.1 | 99.4 |
| Member states | 10 | 32 |
| Active military personnel | 7,061,600 | 3,316,410 |
| – Reserve troops | 5,879,050 | 2,329,650 |
| Military aircraft | 13,793 | 20,282 |
| – incl. combat aircraft | 5,390 | 5,175 |
| Military ships | 2,752 | 2,261 |
| – incl. aircraft carriers | 5 | 16 |
| – incl. submarines | 164 | 145 |
| Main battle tanks | 23,653 | 11,487 |
| Nuclear warheads | 6,239 | 5,637 |
| Combined defense budget | $584.9 billion | $1.5 trillion |
Overview
BRICS groups 10 countries against 32 for NATO. BRICS fields 7,061,600 active troops combined — 2.1x NATO's 3,316,410. NATO's combined $1536B defense budget is 2.6x that of BRICS ($585B).
In the air, BRICS musters 13,793 military aircraft (5,390 combat) against 20,282 (5,175 combat) for NATO. At sea, the fleets total 2,752 ships for BRICS and 2,261 for NATO, including 164 and 145 submarines respectively. On the ground, BRICS deploys 23,653 main battle tanks vs 11,487 for NATO.
Both blocs hold nuclear weapons: BRICS's members maintain 6,239 warheads and NATO's hold 5,637.
Combined Military Index
Country ranking →| Pillar | Weight | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manpower | 15% | 100.0 | 11,434,900 effective |
| Ground forces | 20% | 100.0 | 23,653 main battle tanks |
| Naval power | 20% | 100.0 | 2,752 ships, weighted by type |
| Air power | 25% | 100.0 | 13,793 aircraft, weighted by type & age |
| Nuclear deterrent | 10% | 100.0 | 6,239 warheads |
| Defense budget | 10% | 100.0 | $585B combined, PPP-adjusted |
| Readiness | modifier | ×1.05 | Budget per soldier |
| Pillar | Weight | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manpower | 15% | 100.0 | 4,704,870 effective |
| Ground forces | 20% | 100.0 | 11,487 main battle tanks |
| Naval power | 20% | 100.0 | 2,261 ships, weighted by type |
| Air power | 25% | 100.0 | 20,282 aircraft, weighted by type & age |
| Nuclear deterrent | 10% | 100.0 | 5,637 warheads |
| Defense budget | 10% | 100.0 | $1536B combined, PPP-adjusted |
| Readiness | modifier | ×1.17 | Budget per soldier |
Combined scores treat each coalition as a single force: raw pillar values (troops, weighted equipment points, warheads, budgets) are summed across members and re-scored on the Global Military Index scale. Alliance cohesion, geography and logistics are not modeled.
Forces by Domain
Member Forces
| Country | GMI | Troops | Aircraft | Ships | Budget share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇳 China ☢ | 84.8 | 2,035,000 | 3,731 | 1,042 | 48% |
| 🇷🇺 Russia ☢ | 82.6 | 1,100,000 | 4,300 | 446 | 26% |
| 🇮🇳 India ☢ | 68.8 | 1,475,750 | 2,217 | 350 | 13% |
| 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | 51.0 | 63,000 | 548 | 79 | 4% |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | 48.7 | 366,500 | 502 | 68 | 4% |
| 🇪🇬 Egypt | 48.2 | 438,500 | 1,101 | 318 | 0% |
| 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 46.7 | 404,500 | 467 | 330 | 2% |
| 🇮🇷 Iran | 46.6 | 610,000 | 636 | 70 | 2% |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | 38.2 | 65,350 | 192 | 49 | 0% |
| 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 28.2 | 503,000 | 99 | — | 0% |
| Country | GMI | Troops | Aircraft | Ships | Budget share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 United States ☢ | 99.8 | 1,326,050 | 12,784 | 234 | 60% |
| 🇫🇷 France ☢ | 64.1 | 270,000 | 988 | 164 | 4% |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom ☢ | 62.1 | 144,400 | 640 | 65 | 6% |
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | 57.8 | 355,200 | 1,067 | 192 | 2% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 57.7 | 183,500 | 589 | 71 | 7% |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | 56.3 | 165,500 | 743 | 311 | 3% |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | 52.9 | 120,350 | 471 | 78 | 2% |
| 🇬🇷 Greece | 51.0 | 142,700 | 648 | 154 | 0% |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | 50.2 | 114,050 | 449 | 45 | 3% |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | 49.7 | 67,400 | 355 | 66 | 3% |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | 46.2 | 29,750 | 170 | 319 | 1% |
| 🇳🇴 Norway | 45.2 | 23,250 | 111 | 60 | 1% |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 44.7 | 35,400 | 124 | 40 | 2% |
| 🇫🇮 Finland | 44.3 | 23,800 | 164 | 200 | 1% |
| 🇩🇰 Denmark | 42.8 | 14,500 | 123 | 127 | 1% |
| 🇷🇴 Romania | 41.2 | 69,300 | 166 | 33 | 1% |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | 37.8 | 26,300 | 104 | 9 | 1% |
| 🇵🇹 Portugal | 37.2 | 27,250 | 86 | 36 | 0% |
| 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 34.6 | 36,950 | 79 | 20 | 0% |
| 🇭🇷 Croatia | 33.0 | 15,200 | 67 | 29 | 0% |
| 🇭🇺 Hungary | 30.5 | 27,800 | 86 | — | 0% |
| 🇨🇿 Czechia | 28.8 | 21,750 | 104 | — | 0% |
| 🇸🇰 Slovakia | 25.7 | 15,850 | 51 | — | 0% |
| 🇸🇮 Slovenia | 21.6 | 7,250 | 39 | — | 0% |
| 🇦🇱 Albania | 19.8 | 8,500 | 19 | — | 0% |
| 🇲🇰 North Macedonia | 17.4 | 8,000 | 20 | — | 0% |
| 🇱🇹 Lithuania | 15.4 | 19,850 | 11 | — | 0% |
| 🇪🇪 Estonia | 14.7 | 7,100 | 5 | 8 | 0% |
| 🇱🇻 Latvia | 12.8 | 6,210 | 7 | — | 0% |
| 🇲🇪 Montenegro | 10.5 | 2,350 | 11 | — | 0% |
| 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 9.0 | 900 | 1 | — | 0% |
| 🇮🇸 Iceland | 1.8 | 0 | — | — | 0% |
Economy & Geography
| BRICS | NATO | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 3.9 billion | 980.7 million |
| Combined GDP | $30.4 trillion | $54.9 trillion |
| GDP per capita | $7,761 | $55,982 |
| Defense share of GDP | 1.9% | 2.8% |
| Land area | 43,871,739 km² | 25,897,183 km² |
| Coastline | 130,366 km | 382,102 km |
| Coalition | Country | Status | Warheads | Deployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICS | 🇨🇳 China | Active | 600 | 24 |
| BRICS | 🇷🇺 Russia | Active | 5,459 | 1,718 |
| BRICS | 🇮🇳 India | Active | 180 | — |
| BRICS | 🇮🇷 Iran | Acquiring | — | — |
| NATO | 🇺🇸 United States | Active | 5,042 | 1,770 |
| NATO | 🇫🇷 France | Active | 370 | 280 |
| NATO | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | Active | 225 | 120 |
| NATO | 🇹🇷 Turkey | Host | — | 50 |
| NATO | 🇩🇪 Germany | Host | — | 20 |
| NATO | 🇮🇹 Italy | Host | — | 40 |
| NATO | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | Host | — | 22 |
| NATO | 🇧🇪 Belgium | Host | — | 20 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is stronger, BRICS or NATO?
On the combined Global Military Index, NATO scores 99.4 against 91.1 for BRICS. The score aggregates each bloc's manpower, ground, naval, air, nuclear and budget pillars as if it fought as a single force — it ignores geography, cohesion and logistics, which decide real wars.
How many troops do BRICS and NATO have?
BRICS fields 7,061,600 active military personnel across 10 member states, plus 5,879,050 reserves. NATO fields 3,316,410 active personnel and 2,329,650 reserves.
How much do BRICS and NATO spend on defense?
Combined defense spending reaches $585B a year for BRICS and $1536B for NATO, summing each member's latest reported military budget.
Who has more military aircraft, BRICS or NATO?
BRICS operates 13,793 military aircraft (5,390 combat aircraft), while NATO operates 20,282 (5,175 combat). Each member is counted at its most recent inventory year in the GlobalMilitary.net database.
Do BRICS or NATO have nuclear weapons?
Yes — both. BRICS's nuclear-armed members hold 6,239 warheads combined, against 5,637 for NATO. Only warheads owned by member states are counted; hosted weapons remain with their owner.