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

Belgium (ranked #51 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Portugal (#52) on the ARMS Index. Portugal fields 52,000 active troops — 2.2:1 Belgium's 24,000, backed by 23,500 reserves and 24,700 paramilitary. Belgium's $13B defense budget is 2.1:1 that of Portugal ($6.3B).

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

Belgium leads on 4 of 6 pillars

Flag of Portugal PortugalWorld #52 37.7
  • 55.024K active troops Manpower15 % 59.052K active troops
  • 43.00 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 41.434 battle tanks
  • 20.19 warships Naval power20 % 35.334 warships
  • 43.764 combat aircraft Air power25 % 39.433 combat aircraft
  • 2.415 hosted warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 55.5$13B budget Defense budget10 % 48.6$6.3B budget
Belgium Portugal Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×1.18 vs ×1.12 · Methodology
Key figures
Belgium Portugal Ratio
Defense budget $13B $6.3B 🇧🇪 2.1×
– share of GDP 2.0% 2.0% —
Active personnel 24,000 52,000 🇵🇹 2.2×
Combat aircraft 64 33 🇧🇪 1.9×
Warships 9 34 🇵🇹 3.8×
– 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) 104 100 🇧🇪 ≈
– helicopters 14 28 🇵🇹 2.0×
Deployed warheads 15 0 🇧🇪
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $1,132 $586 🇧🇪 1.9×
Population 11.9M 10.7M 🇧🇪 1.1×
GDP $671B $313B 🇧🇪 2.1×
GDP per capita $56,615 $29,292 🇧🇪 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 52,000 active military personnel compared to Belgium's 24,000, giving Portugal a 2.2:1 numerical advantage.
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 34 vessels compared to Belgium's 9 ships. 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.