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Military Strength: Flag of Belgium Belgium vs Flag of Sweden Sweden

Sweden (ranked #44 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Belgium (#56) on the ATLAS Index. Belgium fields 24,000 active troops vs 15,000 for Sweden, backed by 5,900 reserves. Belgium allocates $13B to defense compared to $15B for Sweden.

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Belgium BelgiumWorld #56 26.8
ATLAS Index / 100

Sweden leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of Sweden SwedenWorld #44 31.9
  • 32.524K active troops Manpower10 % 37.415K active troops
  • 24.40 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 32.3110 battle tanks
  • 25.69 warships Naval power20 % 35.4232 warships
  • 30.964 combat aircraft Air power25 % 35.496 combat aircraft
  • 3.415 hosted warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 34.7$13B budget Defense budget15 % 36.0$15B budget
Belgium Sweden 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 Sweden Ratio
Defense budget $13B $15B 🇸🇪 1.1×
– share of GDP 2.0% 2.5% 🇸🇪 1.2×
Active personnel 24,000 15,000 🇧🇪 1.6×
Combat aircraft 64 96 🇸🇪 1.5×
Warships 9 232 🇸🇪 26×
– submarines 0 4 🇸🇪
Main battle tanks 0 110 🇸🇪
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 12 more rowsHide the 12 extra rows
Reserve troops 5,900 32,900 🇸🇪 5.6×
Paramilitary forces 0 21,200 🇸🇪
Military aircraft (all types) 107 178 🇸🇪 1.7×
– helicopters 14 53 🇸🇪 3.8×
Deployed warheads 15 0 🇧🇪
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $1,132 $1,428 🇸🇪 1.3×
Population 11.9M 10.6M 🇧🇪 1.1×
GDP $671B $604B 🇧🇪 1.1×
GDP per capita $56,615 $57,117 🇸🇪 ≈
Land area 30,278 km² 407,284 km² 🇸🇪 13×
Coastline 66 km 3,218 km 🇸🇪 49×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇧🇪 BelgiumF-16 Fighting Falcon ×52Karel Doorman-class ×2
🇸🇪 SwedenJAS 39 Gripen ×96Leopard 2 ×110Götland-class ×3
Defense budget history Belgium ×2.0 · Sweden ×1.7 since 2021
Military personnel history
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Belgium or Sweden?
Belgium has approximately 24,000 active military personnel compared to Sweden's 15,000, giving Belgium a 1.6:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Belgium or Sweden?
Sweden operates 96 combat aircraft compared to Belgium's 64. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Belgium or Sweden?
Sweden has a larger navy with 232 vessels compared to Belgium's 9 ships. Belgium operates 0 submarines while Sweden has 4.
Which country spends more on defense, Belgium or Sweden?
Sweden has a larger defense budget at $15.1 billion compared to Belgium's $13.4 billion annually.
Do Belgium and Sweden have nuclear weapons?
Neither Belgium nor Sweden currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Belgium and Sweden compare?
Sweden operates 110 main battle tanks compared to Belgium's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.