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Military Strength: Flag of Bolivia Bolivia vs Flag of Nicaragua Nicaragua

Bolivia (ranked #95 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Nicaragua (#111) on the ATLAS Index. Bolivia fields 71,000 active troops — 5.9:1 Nicaragua's 12,000, backed by 37,100 paramilitary. Bolivia's $0.7B defense budget is 6.7:1 that of Nicaragua ($0.10B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Bolivia BoliviaWorld #95 15.8
ATLAS Index / 100

Bolivia leads on 3 of 6 pillars

Flag of Nicaragua NicaraguaWorld #111 12.7
  • 33.171K active troops Manpower10 % 23.512K active troops
  • 24.854 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 27.889 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 19.54 combat aircraft Air power25 % 12.60 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 16.4$659M budget Defense budget15 % 10.2$98M budget
Bolivia Nicaragua 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
Bolivia Nicaragua Ratio
Defense budget $659M $98M 🇧🇴 6.7×
– share of GDP 1.2% 0.5% 🇧🇴 2.4×
Active personnel 71,000 12,000 🇧🇴 5.9×
Combat aircraft 4 0 🇧🇴
Warships 0 0 —
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 54 89 🇳🇮 1.6×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 0 —
Paramilitary forces 37,100 0 🇧🇴
Military aircraft (all types) 70 17 🇧🇴 4.1×
– helicopters 28 11 🇧🇴 2.5×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $53 $14 🇧🇴 3.7×
Population 12.4M 6.9M 🇧🇴 1.8×
GDP $55B $20B 🇧🇴 2.8×
GDP per capita $4,421 $2,848 🇧🇴 1.6×
Land area 1,083,301 km² 119,990 km² 🇧🇴 9.0×
Coastline 0 km 910 km 🇳🇮
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇧🇴 BoliviaJL-8 ×4
Defense budget history Bolivia ×1.3 · Nicaragua ×1.3 since 2020
Military personnel history
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Air forces
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Bolivia vsEcuadorUruguayCubaGuatemalaVenezuela
Nicaragua vsDominican RepublicHondurasEl SalvadorParaguayGuatemala
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Bolivia or Nicaragua?
Bolivia has approximately 71,000 active military personnel compared to Nicaragua's 12,000, giving Bolivia a 5.9:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Bolivia or Nicaragua?
Bolivia operates 4 combat aircraft compared to Nicaragua's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Which country spends more on defense, Bolivia or Nicaragua?
Bolivia has a larger defense budget at $659 million (6.7:1 more) compared to Nicaragua's $98 million annually.
Do Bolivia and Nicaragua have nuclear weapons?
Neither Bolivia nor Nicaragua currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Bolivia and Nicaragua compare?
Nicaragua operates 89 main battle tanks compared to Bolivia's 54. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.