Military Strength: United Arab Emirates vs South Africa
United Arab Emirates (ranked #25 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than South Africa (#48) on the Global Military Index. United Arab Emirates fields 63,000 active troops vs 89,000 for South Africa, backed by 15,050 reserves. United Arab Emirates's $23B defense budget is 8.0x that of South Africa ($3B). In the air, United Arab Emirates operates 548 aircraft including 135 combat jets, while South Africa fields 192 with 25 fighters. At sea, United Arab Emirates's 79-ship navy outnumbers South Africa's 49 vessels, including 0 and 3 submarines respectively. On the ground, United Arab Emirates deploys 354 main battle tanks vs 252 for South Africa. Neither United Arab Emirates nor South Africa possesses nuclear weapons.
| Global Military Index |
55.2 (#25)
◉
|
| 🪖 Military personnel |
63,000
◉
|
| – Reserve troops |
130,000
◉
|
| – Paramilitary forces |
0
◉
|
| 🛩️
Military aircraft
|
548
◉
|
| – incl. combat aircraft |
135
◉
|
| – incl. bombers |
0
◉
|
| – incl. helicopters |
264
◉
|
| ⚓️
Military ships
|
79
◉
|
| – incl. aircraft carriers |
0
◉
|
| – incl. submarines |
0
◉
|
| 🚛 Main battle tanks |
354
◉
|
| 💥 Nuclear warheads |
0
◉
|
| Global Military Index |
46.0 (#48)
◉
|
| 🪖 Military personnel |
89,000
◉
|
| – Reserve troops |
15,050
◉
|
| – Paramilitary forces |
0
◉
|
| 🛩️
Military aircraft
|
192
◉
|
| – incl. combat aircraft |
25
◉
|
| – incl. bombers |
0
◉
|
| – incl. helicopters |
84
◉
|
| ⚓️
Military ships
|
49
◉
|
| – incl. aircraft carriers |
0
◉
|
| – incl. submarines |
3
◉
|
| 🚛 Main battle tanks |
252
◉
|
| 💥 Nuclear warheads |
0
◉
|
| 🪖 Manpower (15%) |
73.0 |
Active, reserve & paramilitary: 128000 effective |
| 🛡️ Ground Firepower (20%) |
56.7 |
Main battle tanks: 354 |
| ⚓ Naval Power (20%) |
54.4 |
Weighted by ship type: carriers, submarines, destroyers... |
| ✈️ Air Power (25%) |
61.0 |
Weighted by aircraft type: combat, bombers, helicopters... |
| ☢️ Nuclear Deterrent (10%) |
0.0 |
No declared nuclear capability |
| 💰 Defense Budget (10%) |
67.0 |
$22755M annual military spending |
| 🪖 Manpower (15%) |
69.5 |
Active, reserve & paramilitary: 72875 effective |
| 🛡️ Ground Firepower (20%) |
53.4 |
Main battle tanks: 252 |
| ⚓ Naval Power (20%) |
43.6 |
Weighted by ship type: carriers, submarines, destroyers... |
| ✈️ Air Power (25%) |
43.3 |
Weighted by aircraft type: combat, bombers, helicopters... |
| ☢️ Nuclear Deterrent (10%) |
0.0 |
No declared nuclear capability |
| 💰 Defense Budget (10%) |
53.1 |
$2836M annual military spending |
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| Population |
10.1 million
◉
|
| GDP |
$502.7 billion
◉
|
| GDP per capita |
$49,899
◉
|
| Military Budget |
$22.8 billion
◉
|
| Share of GDP in Milex |
5.6%
◉
|
| Share of Govt Expenditures |
17.0%
◉
|
| Military spends per capita |
$2839
◉
|
| Population |
63.2 million
◉
|
| GDP |
$380.7 billion
◉
|
| GDP per capita |
$6,023
◉
|
| Military Budget |
$2.8 billion
◉
|
| Share of GDP in Milex |
0.7%
◉
|
| Share of Govt Expenditures |
2.1%
◉
|
| Military spends per capita |
$45
◉
|
| Land Area |
83,600 km²
◉
|
| Coastline Length |
1,318 km
◉
|
| Land Area |
1,214,470 km²
◉
|
| Coastline Length |
2,798 km
◉
|
Who has more military personnel, United Arab Emirates or South Africa?
South Africa has approximately 89,000 active military personnel compared to United Arab Emirates's 63,000.
Which country has more combat aircraft, United Arab Emirates or South Africa?
United Arab Emirates operates 135 combat aircraft compared to South Africa's 25. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, United Arab Emirates or South Africa?
United Arab Emirates has a larger navy with 79 vessels compared to South Africa's 49 ships. United Arab Emirates operates 0 submarines while South Africa has 3.
Which country spends more on defense, United Arab Emirates or South Africa?
United Arab Emirates has a larger defense budget at $22.8 billion (8:1 more) compared to South Africa's $2.8 billion annually.
Do United Arab Emirates and South Africa have nuclear weapons?
Neither United Arab Emirates nor South Africa currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of United Arab Emirates and South Africa compare?
United Arab Emirates operates 354 main battle tanks compared to South Africa's 252. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.