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Military Strength: Flag of Benin Benin vs Flag of Burkina Faso Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso (ranked #126 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Benin (#146) on the ATLAS Index. Benin fields 12,000 active troops vs 11,000 for Burkina Faso, backed by 4,800 paramilitary. Burkina Faso's $1B defense budget is 6.9:1 that of Benin ($0.2B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Benin BeninWorld #146 7.0
ATLAS Index / 100

Burkina Faso leads on 3 of 6 pillars

Flag of Burkina Faso Burkina FasoWorld #126 10.5
  • 21.712K active troops Manpower10 % 25.911K active troops
  • 0.00 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 0.00 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 12.20 combat aircraft Air power25 % 16.63 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 11.3$150M budget Defense budget15 % 24.0$1B budget
Benin Burkina Faso 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
Benin Burkina Faso Ratio
Defense budget $150M $1B 🇧🇫 6.9×
– share of GDP 0.7% 4.5% 🇧🇫 6.4×
Active personnel 12,000 11,000 🇧🇯 1.1×
Combat aircraft 0 3 🇧🇫
Warships 0 0 —
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 0 0 —
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 0 —
Paramilitary forces 4,800 5,000 🇧🇫 ≈
Military aircraft (all types) 11 26 🇧🇫 2.4×
– helicopters 9 19 🇧🇫 2.1×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $10 $44 🇧🇫 4.2×
Population 14.5M 23.5M 🇧🇫 1.6×
GDP $21B $23B 🇧🇫 1.1×
GDP per capita $1,485 $982 🇧🇯 1.5×
Land area 114,305 km² 273,602 km² 🇧🇫 2.4×
Coastline 121 km 0 km 🇧🇯
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇧🇫 Burkina FasoEMB-314 Super Tucano ×3
Defense budget history Benin ×1.9 · Burkina Faso ×2.4 since 2020
Military personnel history
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Air forces
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Benin vsMalawiGuinea-BissauGabonLesothoGhana
Burkina Faso vsBurundiGuineaNamibiaSenegalDjibouti
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Benin or Burkina Faso?
Benin has approximately 12,000 active military personnel compared to Burkina Faso's 11,000.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Benin or Burkina Faso?
Burkina Faso operates 3 combat aircraft compared to Benin's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Which country spends more on defense, Benin or Burkina Faso?
Burkina Faso has a larger defense budget at $1 billion (6.9:1 more) compared to Benin's $150 million annually.
Do Benin and Burkina Faso have nuclear weapons?
Neither Benin nor Burkina Faso currently possesses nuclear weapons.