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Military Strength: Flag of Bahrain Bahrain vs Flag of Iraq Iraq

Iraq (ranked #45 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Bahrain (#58) on the ARMS Index. Iraq fields 459,000 active troops — 24:1 Bahrain's 19,000, backed by 266,000 paramilitary. Iraq's $7B defense budget is 4.9:1 that of Bahrain ($1.4B).

ARMS (Aggregate Rating of Military Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Bahrain BahrainWorld #58 35.4
ARMS Index / 100

Iraq leads on 4 of 6 pillars

Flag of Iraq IraqWorld #45 41.8
  • 47.319K active troops Manpower15 % 75.3459K active troops
  • 50.1150 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 70.11,025 battle tanks
  • 29.465 warships Naval power20 % 26.462 warships
  • 41.344 combat aircraft Air power25 % 49.353 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 36.0$1.4B budget Defense budget10 % 49.5$7B budget
Bahrain Iraq Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×1.10 vs ×1.00 · Methodology
Key figures
Bahrain Iraq Ratio
Defense budget $1.4B $7B 🇮🇶 4.9×
– share of GDP 3.0% 2.5% 🇧🇭 1.2×
Active personnel 19,000 459,000 🇮🇶 24×
Combat aircraft 44 53 🇮🇶 1.2×
Warships 65 62 🇧🇭 ≈
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 150 1,025 🇮🇶 6.8×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 0 —
Paramilitary forces 11,260 266,000 🇮🇶 24×
Military aircraft (all types) 136 396 🇮🇶 2.9×
– helicopters 80 213 🇮🇶 2.7×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $890 $152 🇧🇭 5.9×
Population 1.6M 46M 🇮🇶 29×
GDP $47B $280B 🇮🇶 5.9×
GDP per capita $29,654 $6,074 🇧🇭 4.9×
Land area 786 km² 437,367 km² 🇮🇶 556×
Coastline 161 km 58 km 🇧🇭 2.8×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇧🇭 BahrainF-16 Fighting Falcon ×32M60A3 TTS Patton ×100Oliver Hazard Perry-class ×2
🇮🇶 IraqF-16 Fighting Falcon ×34M1 Abrams ×487
Defense budget history Bahrain ×0.9 · Iraq ×1.2 since 2020
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Bahrain or Iraq?
Iraq has approximately 459,000 active military personnel compared to Bahrain's 19,000, giving Iraq a 24:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Bahrain or Iraq?
Iraq operates 53 combat aircraft compared to Bahrain's 44. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Bahrain or Iraq?
Bahrain has a larger navy with 65 vessels compared to Iraq's 62 ships.
Which country spends more on defense, Bahrain or Iraq?
Iraq has a larger defense budget at $7 billion (4.9:1 more) compared to Bahrain's $1.4 billion annually.
Do Bahrain and Iraq have nuclear weapons?
Neither Bahrain nor Iraq currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Bahrain and Iraq compare?
Iraq operates 1,025 main battle tanks compared to Bahrain's 150. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.