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Coalition Strength: NATO vs SCO

+27 32 countries vs +5 10 countries

Combined Military Strength
NATO SCO
Combined Military Index 99.4 91.5
Member states 32 10
Active military personnel 3,316,410 6,032,800
– Reserve troops 2,329,650 4,374,500
Military aircraft 20,282 12,870
– incl. combat aircraft 5,175 5,163
Military ships 2,261 2,017
– incl. aircraft carriers 16 5
– incl. submarines 145 150
Main battle tanks 11,487 22,541
Nuclear warheads 5,637 6,409
Combined defense budget $1.5 trillion $536.7 billion
Combined Forces Chart

Overview

NATO groups 32 countries against 10 for SCO. NATO fields 3,316,410 active troops combined vs 6,032,800 for SCO. NATO's combined $1536B defense budget is 2.9x that of SCO ($537B).

In the air, NATO musters 20,282 military aircraft (5,175 combat) against 12,870 (5,163 combat) for SCO. At sea, the fleets total 2,261 ships for NATO and 2,017 for SCO, including 145 and 150 submarines respectively. On the ground, NATO deploys 11,487 main battle tanks vs 22,541 for SCO.

Both blocs hold nuclear weapons: NATO's members maintain 5,637 warheads and SCO's hold 6,409.

Combined Military Index

Country ranking →
NATO 32 members
99.4/ 100
Six-pillar composite scored as one force: summed manpower, ground, naval and air points, combined nuclear deterrent and pooled defense budget, with a readiness modifier from 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
SCO 10 members
91.5/ 100
Six-pillar composite scored as one force: summed manpower, ground, naval and air points, combined nuclear deterrent and pooled defense budget, with a readiness modifier from budget per soldier.
Pillar Weight Score Basis
Manpower 15% 100.0 9,475,415 effective
Ground forces 20% 100.0 22,541 main battle tanks
Naval power 20% 100.0 2,017 ships, weighted by type
Air power 25% 100.0 12,870 aircraft, weighted by type & age
Nuclear deterrent 10% 100.0 6,409 warheads
Defense budget 10% 100.0 $537B combined, PPP-adjusted
Readiness modifier ×1.06 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

Air Forces by Category
Navies by Category
Ground Forces by Category
Ground inventories cover 23/32 and 8/10 members respectively.
Combined Defense Spending ($B)
Combined Personnel Evolution
Who Pays: NATO
Who Pays: SCO

Member Forces

NATO 32 members
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (32)
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%
SCO 10 members
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (10)
Country GMI Troops Aircraft Ships Budget share
🇨🇳 China ☢ 84.8 2,035,000 3,731 1,042 52%
🇷🇺 Russia ☢ 82.6 1,100,000 4,300 446 28%
🇮🇳 India ☢ 68.8 1,475,750 2,217 350 15%
🇵🇰 Pakistan ☢ 53.9 660,000 1,369 109 2%
🇮🇷 Iran 46.6 610,000 636 70 2%
🇧🇾 Belarus 35.5 45,350 205 — 0%
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan 31.5 48,000 196 — 0%
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan 30.8 39,000 181 — 0%
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan 20.9 10,900 9 — 0%
🇹🇯 Tajikistan 18.9 8,800 26 — 0%

Economy & Geography

Combined Economy
NATO SCO
Population 980.7 million 3.4 billion
Combined GDP $54.9 trillion $26.2 trillion
GDP per capita $55,982 $7,635
Defense share of GDP 2.8% 2.0%
Land area 25,897,183 km² 34,727,606 km²
Coastline 382,102 km 62,639 km
Nuclear Forces
CoalitionCountryStatusWarheadsDeployed
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
SCO 🇨🇳 China Active 600 24
SCO 🇷🇺 Russia Active 5,459 1,718
SCO 🇮🇳 India Active 180 —
SCO 🇵🇰 Pakistan Active 170 —
SCO 🇮🇷 Iran Acquiring — —
SCO 🇧🇾 Belarus Host — 50
Hosted warheads (NATO sharing) remain with their owner state and are not double-counted in coalition totals.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who is stronger, NATO or SCO?

On the combined Global Military Index, NATO scores 99.4 against 91.5 for SCO. 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 NATO and SCO have?

NATO fields 3,316,410 active military personnel across 32 member states, plus 2,329,650 reserves. SCO fields 6,032,800 active personnel and 4,374,500 reserves.

How much do NATO and SCO spend on defense?

Combined defense spending reaches $1536B a year for NATO and $537B for SCO, summing each member's latest reported military budget.

Who has more military aircraft, NATO or SCO?

NATO operates 20,282 military aircraft (5,175 combat aircraft), while SCO operates 12,870 (5,163 combat). Each member is counted at its most recent inventory year in the GlobalMilitary.net database.

Do NATO or SCO have nuclear weapons?

Yes — both. NATO's nuclear-armed members hold 5,637 warheads combined, against 6,409 for SCO. Only warheads owned by member states are counted; hosted weapons remain with their owner.