Military Strength: 
Burkina Faso vs 
Equatorial Guinea
Burkina Faso (ranked #124 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Equatorial Guinea (#128) on the ARMS Index. Burkina Faso fields 11,000 active troops — 11:1 Equatorial Guinea's 1,000, backed by 5,000 paramilitary. Burkina Faso's $1B defense budget is 8.1:1 that of Equatorial Guinea ($0.1B).
ARMS (Aggregate Rating of Military Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Burkina FasoWorld #124
15.3
ARMS Index / 100
Burkina Faso leads on 3 of 6 pillars
Equatorial GuineaWorld #128
14.8
Burkina Faso
Equatorial Guinea
Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×1.06 vs ×1.02 · Methodology
Key figures
| Burkina Faso | Equatorial Guinea | Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defense budget | $1B | $128M | 🇧🇫 8.1× |
| – share of GDP | 4.5% | 1.0% | 🇧🇫 4.5× |
| Active personnel | 11,000 | 1,000 | 🇧🇫 11× |
| Combat aircraft | 3 | 4 | 🇬🇶 1.3× |
| Warships | 0 | 0 | — |
| – submarines | 0 | 0 | — |
| Main battle tanks | 0 | 3 | 🇬🇶 |
| Nuclear warheads | 0 | 0 | — |
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
| Reserve troops | 0 | 0 | — |
| Paramilitary forces | 5,000 | 0 | 🇧🇫 |
| Military aircraft (all types) | 26 | 27 | 🇬🇶 ≈ |
| – helicopters | 19 | 13 | 🇧🇫 1.5× |
| Budget share of govt spending | — | — | — |
| Budget per capita | $44 | $67 | 🇬🇶 1.5× |
| Population | 23.5M | 1.9M | 🇧🇫 12× |
| GDP | $23B | $13B | 🇧🇫 1.8× |
| GDP per capita | $982 | $6,745 | 🇬🇶 6.9× |
| Land area | 273,602 km² | 28,051 km² | 🇧🇫 9.8× |
| Coastline | 0 km | 296 km | 🇬🇶 |
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇧🇫 Burkina FasoEMB-314 Super Tucano ×3
🇬🇶 Equatorial GuineaSu-25 Frogfoot ×4
Defense budget history Burkina Faso ×2.4 · Equatorial Guinea ×0.8 since 2020
Military personnel history
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who has more military personnel, Burkina Faso or Equatorial Guinea?
Burkina Faso has approximately 11,000 active military personnel compared to Equatorial Guinea's 1,000, giving Burkina Faso a 11:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Burkina Faso or Equatorial Guinea?
Equatorial Guinea operates 4 combat aircraft compared to Burkina Faso's 3. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Which country spends more on defense, Burkina Faso or Equatorial Guinea?
Burkina Faso has a larger defense budget at $1 billion (8.1:1 more) compared to Equatorial Guinea's $128 million annually.
Do Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea have nuclear weapons?
Neither Burkina Faso nor Equatorial Guinea currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea compare?
Equatorial Guinea operates 3 main battle tanks compared to Burkina Faso's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.