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Military Strength: Flag of Belgium Belgium vs Flag of Norway Norway

Norway (ranked #34 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Belgium (#51) on the ARMS Index. Belgium fields 24,000 active troops vs 25,000 for Norway, backed by 40,000 reserves. Belgium allocates $13B to defense compared to $16B for Norway.

ARMS (Aggregate Rating of Military Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Belgium BelgiumWorld #51 37.9
ARMS Index / 100

Norway leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of Norway NorwayWorld #34 45.2
  • 55.024K active troops Manpower15 % 58.425K active troops
  • 43.00 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 43.844 battle tanks
  • 20.19 warships Naval power20 % 45.260 warships
  • 43.764 combat aircraft Air power25 % 46.852 combat aircraft
  • 2.415 hosted warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 55.5$13B budget Defense budget10 % 57.4$16B budget
Belgium Norway Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×1.18 vs ×1.20 · Methodology
Key figures
Belgium Norway Ratio
Defense budget $13B $16B 🇳🇴 1.2×
– share of GDP 2.0% 3.4% 🇳🇴 1.7×
Active personnel 24,000 25,000 🇳🇴 ≈
Combat aircraft 64 52 🇧🇪 1.2×
Warships 9 60 🇳🇴 6.7×
– submarines 0 6 🇳🇴
Main battle tanks 0 44 🇳🇴
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 12 more rowsHide the 12 extra rows
Reserve troops 5,900 40,000 🇳🇴 6.8×
Paramilitary forces 0 0 —
Military aircraft (all types) 104 111 🇳🇴 1.1×
– helicopters 14 34 🇳🇴 2.4×
Deployed warheads 15 0 🇧🇪
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $1,132 $2,951 🇳🇴 2.6×
Population 11.9M 5.6M 🇧🇪 2.1×
GDP $671B $484B 🇧🇪 1.4×
GDP per capita $56,615 $86,785 🇳🇴 1.5×
Land area 30,278 km² 365,957 km² 🇳🇴 12×
Coastline 66 km 83,281 km 🇳🇴 1262×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇧🇪 BelgiumF-16 Fighting Falcon ×52Karel Doorman-class ×2
🇳🇴 NorwayF-35 Lightning II ×52Leopard 2 ×36Ula-class ×6
Defense budget history Belgium ×2.0 · Norway ×1.9 since 2021
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Belgium or Norway?
Norway has approximately 25,000 active military personnel compared to Belgium's 24,000.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Belgium or Norway?
Belgium operates 64 combat aircraft compared to Norway's 52. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Belgium or Norway?
Norway has a larger navy with 60 vessels compared to Belgium's 9 ships. Belgium operates 0 submarines while Norway has 6.
Which country spends more on defense, Belgium or Norway?
Norway has a larger defense budget at $16.4 billion compared to Belgium's $13.4 billion annually.
Do Belgium and Norway have nuclear weapons?
Neither Belgium nor Norway currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Belgium and Norway compare?
Norway operates 44 main battle tanks compared to Belgium's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.