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Military Strength: Flag of Colombia Colombia vs Flag of Nicaragua Nicaragua

Colombia (ranked #40 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Nicaragua (#112) on the ATLAS Index. Colombia fields 257,450 active troops — 21:1 Nicaragua's 12,000, backed by 34,950 reserves and 165,050 paramilitary. Colombia's $14B defense budget is 145:1 that of Nicaragua ($0.10B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Colombia ColombiaWorld #40 32.8
ATLAS Index / 100

Colombia leads on 4 of 6 pillars

Flag of Nicaragua NicaraguaWorld #112 12.7
  • 59.4257K active troops Manpower10 % 23.512K active troops
  • 24.90 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 27.689 battle tanks
  • 32.9254 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 31.440 combat aircraft Air power25 % 12.50 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 47.2$14B budget Defense budget15 % 10.2$98M budget
Colombia 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
Colombia Nicaragua Ratio
Defense budget $14B $98M 🇨🇴 145×
– share of GDP 3.4% 0.5% 🇨🇴 6.8×
Active personnel 257,450 12,000 🇨🇴 21×
Combat aircraft 40 0 🇨🇴
Warships 254 0 🇨🇴
– submarines 4 0 🇨🇴
Main battle tanks 0 89 🇳🇮
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 34,950 0 🇨🇴
Paramilitary forces 165,050 0 🇨🇴
Military aircraft (all types) 459 17 🇨🇴 27×
– helicopters 269 11 🇨🇴 24×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $267 $14 🇨🇴 19×
Population 53.4M 7M 🇨🇴 7.6×
GDP $457B $22B 🇨🇴 21×
GDP per capita $8,562 $3,173 🇨🇴 2.7×
Land area 1,038,700 km² 119,990 km² 🇨🇴 8.7×
Coastline 3,208 km 910 km 🇨🇴 3.5×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇨🇴 ColombiaEMB-314 Super Tucano ×24Type 206-class ×2
Defense budget history Colombia ×1.5 · Nicaragua ×1.3 since 2020
Military personnel history
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Air forces
Change opponent
Colombia vsVenezuelaChilePeruMexicoArgentina
Nicaragua vsDominican RepublicParaguayEl SalvadorHondurasGuatemala
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Colombia or Nicaragua?
Colombia has approximately 257,450 active military personnel compared to Nicaragua's 12,000, giving Colombia a 21:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Colombia or Nicaragua?
Colombia operates 40 combat aircraft compared to Nicaragua's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Colombia or Nicaragua?
Colombia has a larger navy with 254 warships compared to Nicaragua's 0. Colombia operates 4 submarines while Nicaragua has 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Colombia or Nicaragua?
Colombia has a larger defense budget at $14.2 billion (145:1 more) compared to Nicaragua's $98 million annually.
Do Colombia and Nicaragua have nuclear weapons?
Neither Colombia nor Nicaragua currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Colombia and Nicaragua compare?
Nicaragua operates 89 main battle tanks compared to Colombia's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.