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Military Strength: Flag of Chile Chile vs Flag of Cuba Cuba

Chile (ranked #39 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Cuba (#65) on the ATLAS Index. Chile fields 114,000 active troops vs 76,000 for Cuba, backed by 40,000 reserves and 44,700 paramilitary. Chile's $5B defense budget is 39:1 that of Cuba ($0.1B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Chile ChileWorld #39 32.9
ATLAS Index / 100

Chile leads on 3 of 6 pillars

Flag of Cuba CubaWorld #65 24.1
  • 44.4114K active troops Manpower10 % 56.976K active troops
  • 33.6386 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 40.8113 battle tanks
  • 39.275 warships Naval power20 % 25.533 warships
  • 33.481 combat aircraft Air power25 % 13.00 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 34.4$5B budget Defense budget15 % 10.9$129M budget
Chile Cuba 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
Chile Cuba Ratio
Defense budget $5B $129M 🇨🇱 39×
– share of GDP 1.5% 2.9% 🇨🇺 1.9×
Active personnel 114,000 76,000 🇨🇱 1.5×
Combat aircraft 81 0 🇨🇱
Warships 75 33 🇨🇱 2.3×
– submarines 4 0 🇨🇱
Main battle tanks 386 113 🇨🇱 3.4×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 40,000 39,000 🇨🇱 ≈
Paramilitary forces 44,700 1,146,500 🇨🇺 26×
Military aircraft (all types) 277 20 🇨🇱 14×
– helicopters 87 13 🇨🇱 6.7×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $251 $11 🇨🇱 22×
Population 19.8M 11M 🇨🇱 1.8×
GDP $330B $107B 🇨🇱 3.1×
GDP per capita $16,710 $9,777 🇨🇱 1.7×
Land area 743,812 km² 109,884 km² 🇨🇱 6.8×
Coastline 6,435 km 3,735 km 🇨🇱 1.7×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇨🇱 ChileF-16 Fighting Falcon ×46Leopard 2 ×186Scorpène-class ×2
🇨🇺 CubaT-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×1,100
Defense budget history
Military personnel history
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Chile vsArgentinaMexicoPeruColombiaCanada
Cuba vsVenezuelaEcuadorArgentinaBoliviaPeru
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Chile or Cuba?
Chile has approximately 114,000 active military personnel compared to Cuba's 76,000, giving Chile a 1.5:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Chile or Cuba?
Chile operates 81 combat aircraft compared to Cuba's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Chile or Cuba?
Chile has a larger navy with 75 vessels compared to Cuba's 33 ships. Chile operates 4 submarines while Cuba has 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Chile or Cuba?
Chile has a larger defense budget at $5 billion (39:1 more) compared to Cuba's $129 million annually.
Do Chile and Cuba have nuclear weapons?
Neither Chile nor Cuba currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Chile and Cuba compare?
Chile operates 386 main battle tanks compared to Cuba's 113. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.