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Military Strength: Flag of Angola Angola vs Flag of South Africa South Africa

South Africa (ranked #51 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Angola (#107) on the ATLAS Index. Angola fields 117,000 active troops vs 89,000 for South Africa, backed by 10,000 paramilitary. South Africa's $2.8B defense budget is 2.8:1 that of Angola ($1B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Angola AngolaWorld #107 13.6
ATLAS Index / 100

South Africa leads on 4 of 6 pillars

Flag of South Africa South AfricaWorld #51 29.4
  • 41.7117K active troops Manpower10 % 38.089K active troops
  • 0.00 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 37.8252 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 36.249 warships
  • 26.187 combat aircraft Air power25 % 27.825 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 18.2$1B budget Defense budget15 % 23.5$2.8B budget
Angola South Africa 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
Angola South Africa Ratio
Defense budget $1B $2.8B 🇿🇦 2.8×
– share of GDP 1.0% 0.7% 🇦🇴 1.4×
Active personnel 117,000 89,000 🇦🇴 1.3×
Combat aircraft 87 25 🇦🇴 3.5×
Warships 0 49 🇿🇦
– submarines 0 3 🇿🇦
Main battle tanks 0 252 🇿🇦
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 15,050 🇿🇦
Paramilitary forces 10,000 0 🇦🇴
Military aircraft (all types) 280 192 🇦🇴 1.5×
– helicopters 115 84 🇦🇴 1.4×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $27 $44 🇿🇦 1.6×
Population 37.9M 64M 🇿🇦 1.7×
GDP $101B $401B 🇿🇦 4.0×
GDP per capita $2,666 $6,267 🇿🇦 2.4×
Land area 1,246,700 km² 1,214,470 km² 🇦🇴 ≈
Coastline 1,600 km 2,798 km 🇿🇦 1.7×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇦🇴 AngolaMiG-21 Fishbed ×23
🇿🇦 South AfricaJAS 39 Gripen ×25Olifant 1 ×200Heroine-class ×3
Defense budget history Angola ×1.4 · South Africa ×0.8 since 2020
Military personnel history
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Air forces
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Angola or South Africa?
Angola has approximately 117,000 active military personnel compared to South Africa's 89,000.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Angola or South Africa?
Angola operates 87 combat aircraft compared to South Africa's 25. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Angola or South Africa?
South Africa has a larger navy with 49 vessels compared to Angola's 0 ships. Angola operates 0 submarines while South Africa has 3.
Which country spends more on defense, Angola or South Africa?
South Africa has a larger defense budget at $2.8 billion (2.8:1 more) compared to Angola's $1 billion annually.
Do Angola and South Africa have nuclear weapons?
Neither Angola nor South Africa currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Angola and South Africa compare?
South Africa operates 252 main battle tanks compared to Angola's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.