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Head-to-head

Military Strength: Flag of Afghanistan Afghanistan vs Flag of Syria Syria

Syria (ranked #82 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Afghanistan (#98) on the ATLAS Index. Afghanistan fields 165,000 active troops vs 269,000 for Syria. Syria's $2.5B defense budget is 9.0:1 that of Afghanistan ($0.3B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Afghanistan AfghanistanWorld #98 14.8
ATLAS Index / 100

Syria leads on 3 of 6 pillars

Flag of Syria SyriaWorld #82 20.0
  • 45.6165K active troops Manpower10 % 47.3269K active troops
  • 21.230 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 20.1365 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 15.30 combat aircraft Air power25 % 30.6225 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 13.2$278M budget Defense budget15 % 22.8$2.5B budget
Afghanistan Syria Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · each conventional pillar read after its branch's availability proxy · Methodology
Key figures
Afghanistan Syria Ratio
Defense budget $278M $2.5B 🇸🇾 9.0×
– share of GDP 1.8% 4.1% 🇸🇾 2.2×
Active personnel 165,000 269,000 🇸🇾 1.6×
Combat aircraft 0 225 🇸🇾
Warships 0 0 —
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 30 365 🇸🇾 12×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 0 —
Paramilitary forces 0 0 —
Military aircraft (all types) 34 414 🇸🇾 12×
– helicopters 23 153 🇸🇾 6.7×
Budget share of govt spending 10.3% 13.6% 🇸🇾 1.3×
Budget per capita $7 $110 🇸🇾 16×
Population 42.6M 24.7M 🇦🇫 1.7×
GDP $17B $24B 🇸🇾 1.4×
GDP per capita $402 $957 🇸🇾 2.4×
Land area 652,867 km² 183,630 km² 🇦🇫 3.6×
Coastline 0 km 193 km 🇸🇾
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇸🇾 SyriaMiG-23 Flogger ×87
Defense budget history Afghanistan ×2.6 · Syria ×1.8 since 2004
Military personnel history
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Air forces
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Afghanistan vsPakistanGeorgiaLaosMongoliaKyrgyzstan
Syria vsArmeniaYemenLebanonMongoliaUzbekistan
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Afghanistan or Syria?
Syria has approximately 269,000 active military personnel compared to Afghanistan's 165,000, giving Syria a 1.6:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Afghanistan or Syria?
Syria operates 225 combat aircraft compared to Afghanistan's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Which country spends more on defense, Afghanistan or Syria?
Syria has a larger defense budget at $2.5 billion (9.0:1 more) compared to Afghanistan's $278 million annually.
Do Afghanistan and Syria have nuclear weapons?
Neither Afghanistan nor Syria currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Afghanistan and Syria compare?
Syria operates 365 main battle tanks compared to Afghanistan's 30. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.