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Military Strength: Flag of Canada Canada vs Flag of New Zealand New Zealand

Canada (ranked #30 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than New Zealand (#82) on the ATLAS Index. Canada fields 67,400 active troops — 7.5:1 New Zealand's 9,000, backed by 29,100 reserves. Canada's $45B defense budget is 14:1 that of New Zealand ($3.1B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Canada CanadaWorld #30 37.9
ATLAS Index / 100

Canada leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of New Zealand New ZealandWorld #82 20.4
  • 42.167K active troops Manpower10 % 24.89,000 active troops
  • 37.974 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 19.50 battle tanks
  • 44.733 warships Naval power20 % 26.36 warships
  • 38.397 combat aircraft Air power25 % 19.00 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 47.6$45B budget Defense budget15 % 24.9$3.1B budget
Canada New Zealand 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
Canada New Zealand Ratio
Defense budget $45B $3.1B 🇨🇦 14×
– share of GDP 2.0% 1.2% 🇨🇦 1.7×
Active personnel 67,400 9,000 🇨🇦 7.5×
Combat aircraft 97 0 🇨🇦
Warships 33 6 🇨🇦 5.5×
– submarines 4 0 🇨🇦
Main battle tanks 74 0 🇨🇦
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 29,100 3,270 🇨🇦 8.9×
Paramilitary forces 0 0 —
Military aircraft (all types) 398 44 🇨🇦 9.0×
– helicopters 149 18 🇨🇦 8.3×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $1,077 $586 🇨🇦 1.8×
Population 41.7M 5.3M 🇨🇦 7.8×
GDP $2.3T $264B 🇨🇦 8.8×
GDP per capita $55,698 $49,591 🇨🇦 1.1×
Land area 9,093,507 km² 262,443 km² 🇨🇦 35×
Coastline 202,080 km 15,134 km 🇨🇦 13×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇨🇦 CanadaF/A-18 Hornet ×95Leopard 2 ×74Victoria-class ×4
🇳🇿 New ZealandAnzac-class ×2
Defense budget history Canada ×1.3 · New Zealand ×0.9 since 2021
Military personnel history
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Canada or New Zealand?
Canada has approximately 67,400 active military personnel compared to New Zealand's 9,000, giving Canada a 7.5:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Canada or New Zealand?
Canada operates 97 combat aircraft compared to New Zealand's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Canada or New Zealand?
Canada has a larger navy with 33 warships compared to New Zealand's 6. Canada operates 4 submarines while New Zealand has 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Canada or New Zealand?
Canada has a larger defense budget at $44.9 billion (14:1 more) compared to New Zealand's $3.1 billion annually.
Do Canada and New Zealand have nuclear weapons?
Neither Canada nor New Zealand currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Canada and New Zealand compare?
Canada operates 74 main battle tanks compared to New Zealand's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.