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Military Strength: Flag of Australia Australia vs Flag of Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea

Australia (ranked #28 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Papua New Guinea (#151) on the ATLAS Index. Australia fields 58,600 active troops — 16:1 Papua New Guinea's 3,600, backed by 33,270 reserves. Australia's $35B defense budget is 368:1 that of Papua New Guinea ($0.10B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Australia AustraliaWorld #28 38.8
ATLAS Index / 100

Australia leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of Papua New Guinea Papua New GuineaWorld #151 6.1
  • 41.258K active troops Manpower10 % 17.43,600 active troops
  • 35.646 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 0.00 battle tanks
  • 48.042 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 44.096 combat aircraft Air power25 % 11.10 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 43.2$35B budget Defense budget15 % 10.1$95M budget
Australia Papua New Guinea 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
Australia Papua New Guinea Ratio
Defense budget $35B $95M 🇦🇺 368×
– share of GDP 2.0% 0.3% 🇦🇺 6.7×
Active personnel 58,600 3,600 🇦🇺 16×
Combat aircraft 96 0 🇦🇺
Warships 42 0 🇦🇺
– submarines 6 0 🇦🇺
Main battle tanks 46 0 🇦🇺
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 33,270 0 🇦🇺
Paramilitary forces 0 0 —
Military aircraft (all types) 367 4 🇦🇺 92×
– helicopters 73 1 🇦🇺 73×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $1,273 $9 🇦🇺 144×
Population 27.6M 10.8M 🇦🇺 2.6×
GDP $1.8T $32B 🇦🇺 55×
GDP per capita $65,130 $3,020 🇦🇺 22×
Land area 7,633,565 km² 452,860 km² 🇦🇺 17×
Coastline 25,760 km 5,152 km 🇦🇺 5.0×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇦🇺 AustraliaF-35 Lightning II ×72M1 Abrams ×46Collins-class ×6
Defense budget history Australia ×1.3 · Papua New Guinea ×1.0 since 2020
Military personnel history
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Australia vsUnited StatesIndonesiaChinaNew ZealandFiji
Papua New Guinea vsNew ZealandFijiGuinea-BissauLesothoMontenegro
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Australia or Papua New Guinea?
Australia has approximately 58,600 active military personnel compared to Papua New Guinea's 3,600, giving Australia a 16:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Australia or Papua New Guinea?
Australia operates 96 combat aircraft compared to Papua New Guinea's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Australia or Papua New Guinea?
Australia has a larger navy with 42 warships compared to Papua New Guinea's 0. Australia operates 6 submarines while Papua New Guinea has 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Australia or Papua New Guinea?
Australia has a larger defense budget at $35.1 billion (368:1 more) compared to Papua New Guinea's $95 million annually.
Do Australia and Papua New Guinea have nuclear weapons?
Neither Australia nor Papua New Guinea currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Australia and Papua New Guinea compare?
Australia operates 46 main battle tanks compared to Papua New Guinea's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.