Military Strength: 
Costa Rica vs 
Mexico
Mexico maintains an active force of 216,000 military personnel. Mexico's $17B defense budget is 29:1 that of Costa Rica ($0.6B).
Key figures
| Costa Rica | Mexico | Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defense budget | $572M | $17B | 🇲🇽 29× |
| – share of GDP | 0.6% | 0.9% | 🇲🇽 1.5× |
| Active personnel | 0 | 216,000 | 🇲🇽 |
| Combat aircraft | 0 | 7 | 🇲🇽 |
| Warships | 0 | 133 | 🇲🇽 |
| – submarines | 0 | 0 | — |
| Main battle tanks | 0 | 0 | — |
| Nuclear warheads | 0 | 0 | — |
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
| Reserve troops | 0 | 81,500 | 🇲🇽 |
| Paramilitary forces | 9,800 | 120,000 | 🇲🇽 12× |
| Military aircraft (all types) | 0 | 466 | 🇲🇽 |
| – helicopters | 0 | 170 | 🇲🇽 |
| Budget share of govt spending | — | — | — |
| Budget per capita | $111 | $127 | 🇲🇽 1.1× |
| Population | 5.2M | 131.9M | 🇲🇽 26× |
| GDP | $103B | $1.8T | 🇲🇽 18× |
| GDP per capita | $19,970 | $13,889 | 🇨🇷 1.4× |
| Land area | 51,060 km² | 1,943,945 km² | 🇲🇽 38× |
| Coastline | 1,290 km | 9,330 km | 🇲🇽 7.2× |
Backbone systems most numerous in service
Defense budget history Costa Rica ×1.3 · Mexico ×2.5 since 2020
Military personnel history
Explore this matchup
Change opponent
Related comparisons & rankings
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country has more combat aircraft, Costa Rica or Mexico?
Mexico operates 7 combat aircraft compared to Costa Rica's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Costa Rica or Mexico?
Mexico has a larger navy with 133 warships compared to Costa Rica's 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Costa Rica or Mexico?
Mexico has a larger defense budget at $16.7 billion (29:1 more) compared to Costa Rica's $572 million annually.
Do Costa Rica and Mexico have nuclear weapons?
Neither Costa Rica nor Mexico currently possesses nuclear weapons.