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Military Strength: Flag of Australia Australia vs Flag of Spain Spain

Spain (ranked #17 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Australia (#18) on the ARMS Index. Spain fields 199,000 active troops — 3.3:1 Australia's 60,000, backed by 15,150 reserves and 87,450 paramilitary. Australia allocates $35B to defense compared to $35B for Spain.

ARMS (Aggregate Rating of Military Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Australia AustraliaWorld #18 51.5
ARMS Index / 100

Spain leads on 3 of 6 pillars

Flag of Spain SpainWorld #17 52.8
  • 63.360K active troops Manpower15 % 69.9199K active troops
  • 52.875 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 62.7317 battle tanks
  • 50.844 warships Naval power20 % 47.687 warships
  • 55.296 combat aircraft Air power25 % 58.9178 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 64.8$35B budget Defense budget10 % 64.6$35B budget
Australia Spain Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×1.19 vs ×1.14 · Methodology
Key figures
Australia Spain Ratio
Defense budget $35B $35B 🇦🇺 ≈
– share of GDP 2.0% 2.0% —
Active personnel 60,000 199,000 🇪🇸 3.3×
Combat aircraft 96 178 🇪🇸 1.9×
Warships 44 87 🇪🇸 2.0×
– submarines 6 2 🇦🇺 3.0×
Main battle tanks 75 317 🇪🇸 4.2×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 12 more rowsHide the 12 extra rows
Reserve troops 33,270 15,150 🇦🇺 2.2×
Paramilitary forces 0 87,450 🇪🇸
Military aircraft (all types) 355 471 🇪🇸 1.3×
– helicopters 95 178 🇪🇸 1.9×
Aircraft carriers 0 1 🇪🇸
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $1,292 $707 🇦🇺 1.8×
Population 27.2M 48.8M 🇪🇸 1.8×
GDP $1.8T $1.7T 🇦🇺 ≈
GDP per capita $64,604 $35,327 🇦🇺 1.8×
Land area 7,633,565 km² 498,980 km² 🇦🇺 15×
Coastline 25,760 km 4,964 km 🇦🇺 5.2×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇦🇺 AustraliaF-35 Lightning II ×72M1 Abrams ×46Collins-class ×6
🇪🇸 SpainF/A-18 Hornet ×81Leopard 2 ×274Juan Carlos I-class ×1
Defense budget history Australia ×1.1 · Spain ×1.7 since 2021
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Australia or Spain?
Spain has approximately 199,000 active military personnel compared to Australia's 60,000, giving Spain a 3.3:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Australia or Spain?
Spain operates 178 combat aircraft compared to Australia's 96. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Australia or Spain?
Spain has a larger navy with 87 vessels compared to Australia's 44 ships. Australia operates 6 submarines while Spain has 2.
Which country spends more on defense, Australia or Spain?
Australia has a larger defense budget at $35.1 billion compared to Spain's $34.5 billion annually.
Do Australia and Spain have nuclear weapons?
Neither Australia nor Spain currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Australia and Spain compare?
Spain operates 317 main battle tanks compared to Australia's 75. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.