Military Strength: 
United Arab Emirates vs 
Taiwan
Taiwan (ranked #15 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than United Arab Emirates (#27) on the ATLAS Index. Taiwan fields 169,000 active troops — 2.7:1 United Arab Emirates's 63,000, backed by 1,657,000 reserves and 13,000 paramilitary. United Arab Emirates allocates $22B to defense compared to $18B for Taiwan.
ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
United Arab EmiratesWorld #27
39.4
ATLAS Index / 100
Taiwan leads on 4 of 6 pillars
TaiwanWorld #15
46.9
United Arab Emirates
Taiwan
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
| United Arab Emirates | Taiwan | Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defense budget | $22B | $18B | 🇦🇪 1.2× |
| – share of GDP | 4.0% | 2.1% | 🇦🇪 1.9× |
| Active personnel | 63,000 | 169,000 | 🇹🇼 2.7× |
| Combat aircraft | 175 | 321 | 🇹🇼 1.8× |
| Warships | 62 | 86 | 🇹🇼 1.4× |
| – submarines | 0 | 4 | 🇹🇼 |
| Main battle tanks | 354 | 1,018 | 🇹🇼 2.9× |
| Nuclear warheads | 0 | 0 | — |
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
| Reserve troops | 130,000 | 1,657,000 | 🇹🇼 13× |
| Paramilitary forces | 0 | 13,000 | 🇹🇼 |
| Military aircraft (all types) | 625 | 730 | 🇹🇼 1.2× |
| – helicopters | 250 | 239 | 🇦🇪 ≈ |
| Budget share of govt spending | — | 12.4% | 🇹🇼 |
| Budget per capita | $1,919 | $785 | 🇦🇪 2.4× |
| Population | 11.5M | — | 🇦🇪 |
| GDP | $552B | — | 🇦🇪 |
| GDP per capita | $47,973 | — | 🇦🇪 |
| Land area | 83,600 km² | 32,260 km² | 🇦🇪 2.6× |
| Coastline | 1,318 km | 1,566 km | 🇹🇼 1.2× |
Backbone systems most numerous in service
Defense budget history United Arab Emirates ×1.0 · Taiwan ×1.3 since 2020
Military personnel history
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who has more military personnel, United Arab Emirates or Taiwan?
Taiwan has approximately 169,000 active military personnel compared to United Arab Emirates's 63,000, giving Taiwan a 2.7:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, United Arab Emirates or Taiwan?
Taiwan operates 321 combat aircraft compared to United Arab Emirates's 175. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, United Arab Emirates or Taiwan?
Taiwan has a larger navy with 86 warships compared to United Arab Emirates's 62. United Arab Emirates operates 0 submarines while Taiwan has 4.
Which country spends more on defense, United Arab Emirates or Taiwan?
United Arab Emirates has a larger defense budget at $22.1 billion compared to Taiwan's $18.2 billion annually.
Do United Arab Emirates and Taiwan have nuclear weapons?
Neither United Arab Emirates nor Taiwan currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of United Arab Emirates and Taiwan compare?
Taiwan operates 1,018 main battle tanks compared to United Arab Emirates's 354. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.