Military Strength: 
Burkina Faso vs 
Niger
Burkina Faso (ranked #125 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Niger (#136) on the ATLAS Index. Burkina Faso fields 11,200 active troops — 2.1:1 Niger's 5,300, backed by 5,000 paramilitary. Burkina Faso's $1B defense budget is 2.4:1 that of Niger ($0.4B).
ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Burkina FasoWorld #125
10.6
ATLAS Index / 100
Burkina Faso leads on 3 of 6 pillars
NigerWorld #136
8.7
Burkina Faso
Niger
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
| Burkina Faso | Niger | Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defense budget | $1B | $437M | 🇧🇫 2.4× |
| – share of GDP | 4.5% | 2.2% | 🇧🇫 2.0× |
| Active personnel | 11,200 | 5,300 | 🇧🇫 2.1× |
| Combat aircraft | 3 | 2 | 🇧🇫 1.5× |
| 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 | 5,000 | 7,500 | 🇳🇪 1.5× |
| Military aircraft (all types) | 32 | 38 | 🇳🇪 1.2× |
| – helicopters | 18 | 16 | 🇧🇫 1.1× |
| Budget share of govt spending | — | — | — |
| Budget per capita | $43 | $16 | 🇧🇫 2.8× |
| Population | 24.1M | 27.9M | 🇳🇪 1.2× |
| GDP | $28B | $22B | 🇧🇫 1.3× |
| GDP per capita | $1,148 | $775 | 🇧🇫 1.5× |
| Land area | 273,602 km² | 1,266,700 km² | 🇳🇪 4.6× |
| Coastline | 0 km | 0 km | — |
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇧🇫 Burkina FasoEMB-314 Super Tucano ×3
🇳🇪 NigerSu-25 Frogfoot ×2
Defense budget history Burkina Faso ×2.4 · Niger ×1.6 since 2020
Military personnel history
Explore this matchup
Go deeper · same matchup, other lenses
Change opponent
Related comparisons & rankings
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has more military personnel, Burkina Faso or Niger?
Burkina Faso has approximately 11,200 active military personnel compared to Niger's 5,300, giving Burkina Faso a 2.1:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Burkina Faso or Niger?
Burkina Faso operates 3 combat aircraft compared to Niger's 2. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Which country spends more on defense, Burkina Faso or Niger?
Burkina Faso has a larger defense budget at $1 billion (2.4:1 more) compared to Niger's $437 million annually.
Do Burkina Faso and Niger have nuclear weapons?
Neither Burkina Faso nor Niger currently possesses nuclear weapons.