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Military Strength: Flag of Belgium Belgium vs Flag of Portugal Portugal

Portugal (ranked #56 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Belgium (#57) on the ATLAS Index. Belgium fields 26,300 active troops vs 27,250 for Portugal, backed by 23,500 reserves and 24,700 paramilitary. Belgium's $13B defense budget is 2.1:1 that of Portugal ($6.3B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Belgium BelgiumWorld #57 27.2
ATLAS Index / 100

Portugal leads on 3 of 6 pillars

Flag of Portugal PortugalWorld #56 27.5
  • 32.526K active troops Manpower10 % 36.127K active troops
  • 26.30 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 26.434 battle tanks
  • 25.69 warships Naval power20 % 34.726 warships
  • 30.764 combat aircraft Air power25 % 26.633 combat aircraft
  • 3.415 hosted warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 34.7$13B budget Defense budget15 % 31.4$6.3B budget
Belgium Portugal 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
Belgium Portugal Ratio
Defense budget $13B $6.3B 🇧🇪 2.1×
– share of GDP 2.0% 2.0% —
Active personnel 26,300 27,250 🇵🇹 ≈
Combat aircraft 64 33 🇧🇪 1.9×
Warships 9 26 🇵🇹 2.9×
– submarines 0 2 🇵🇹
Main battle tanks 0 34 🇵🇹
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 12 more rowsHide the 12 extra rows
Reserve troops 5,900 23,500 🇵🇹 4.0×
Paramilitary forces 0 24,700 🇵🇹
Military aircraft (all types) 109 102 🇧🇪 1.1×
– helicopters 14 29 🇵🇹 2.1×
Deployed warheads 15 0 🇧🇪
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $1,124 $580 🇧🇪 1.9×
Population 11.9M 10.8M 🇧🇪 1.1×
GDP $725B $347B 🇧🇪 2.1×
GDP per capita $60,750 $32,082 🇧🇪 1.9×
Land area 30,278 km² 91,119 km² 🇵🇹 3.0×
Coastline 66 km 1,793 km 🇵🇹 27×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇧🇪 BelgiumF-16 Fighting Falcon ×52Karel Doorman-class ×2
🇵🇹 PortugalF-16 Fighting Falcon ×28Leopard 2 ×34Type 214-class ×2
Defense budget history Belgium ×2.0 · Portugal ×1.6 since 2021
Military personnel history
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Belgium or Portugal?
Portugal has approximately 27,250 active military personnel compared to Belgium's 26,300.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Belgium or Portugal?
Belgium operates 64 combat aircraft compared to Portugal's 33. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Belgium or Portugal?
Portugal has a larger navy with 26 warships compared to Belgium's 9. Belgium operates 0 submarines while Portugal has 2.
Which country spends more on defense, Belgium or Portugal?
Belgium has a larger defense budget at $13.4 billion (2.1:1 more) compared to Portugal's $6.3 billion annually.
Do Belgium and Portugal have nuclear weapons?
Neither Belgium nor Portugal currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Belgium and Portugal compare?
Portugal operates 34 main battle tanks compared to Belgium's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.