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Military Strength: Flag of Belgium Belgium vs Flag of Croatia Croatia

Belgium (ranked #51 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Croatia (#64) on the ARMS Index. Belgium fields 24,000 active troops vs 20,000 for Croatia, backed by 5,900 reserves. Belgium's $13B defense budget is 7.2:1 that of Croatia ($1.9B).

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Flag of Belgium BelgiumWorld #51 37.9
ARMS Index / 100

Belgium leads on 4 of 6 pillars

Flag of Croatia CroatiaWorld #64 33.1
  • 55.024K active troops Manpower15 % 53.820K active troops
  • 43.00 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 44.745 battle tanks
  • 20.19 warships Naval power20 % 30.931 warships
  • 43.764 combat aircraft Air power25 % 32.912 combat aircraft
  • 2.415 hosted warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 55.5$13B budget Defense budget10 % 38.2$1.9B budget
Belgium Croatia Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×1.18 vs ×1.08 · Methodology
Key figures
Belgium Croatia Ratio
Defense budget $13B $1.9B 🇧🇪 7.2×
– share of GDP 2.0% 2.0% —
Active personnel 24,000 20,000 🇧🇪 1.2×
Combat aircraft 64 12 🇧🇪 5.3×
Warships 9 31 🇭🇷 3.4×
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 0 45 🇭🇷
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 12 more rowsHide the 12 extra rows
Reserve troops 5,900 20,100 🇭🇷 3.4×
Paramilitary forces 0 0 —
Military aircraft (all types) 104 67 🇧🇪 1.6×
– helicopters 14 37 🇭🇷 2.6×
Deployed warheads 15 0 🇧🇪
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $1,132 $481 🇧🇪 2.4×
Population 11.9M 3.9M 🇧🇪 3.1×
GDP $671B $93B 🇧🇪 7.2×
GDP per capita $56,615 $24,050 🇧🇪 2.4×
Land area 30,278 km² 55,974 km² 🇭🇷 1.8×
Coastline 66 km 5,835 km 🇭🇷 88×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇧🇪 BelgiumF-16 Fighting Falcon ×52Karel Doorman-class ×2
🇭🇷 CroatiaRafale ×12M-84 ×45
Defense budget history Belgium ×2.0 · Croatia ×1.3 since 2021
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Belgium or Croatia?
Belgium has approximately 24,000 active military personnel compared to Croatia's 20,000.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Belgium or Croatia?
Belgium operates 64 combat aircraft compared to Croatia's 12. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Belgium or Croatia?
Croatia has a larger navy with 31 vessels compared to Belgium's 9 ships.
Which country spends more on defense, Belgium or Croatia?
Belgium has a larger defense budget at $13.4 billion (7.2:1 more) compared to Croatia's $1.9 billion annually.
Do Belgium and Croatia have nuclear weapons?
Neither Belgium nor Croatia currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Belgium and Croatia compare?
Croatia operates 45 main battle tanks compared to Belgium's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.