Military Strength: Costa Rica vs Panama
Panama (ranked #143 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Costa Rica (#169) on the Global Military Index. Panama fields 28,000 active troops — 2.8x Costa Rica's 10,000, backed by 26,000 paramilitary. Panama allocates $0.1B to defense. Panama operates 39 military aircraft; Costa Rica has no significant air force. Neither Costa Rica nor Panama possesses nuclear weapons.
| Global Military Index | 7.4 (#169) ◉ |
| 🪖 Military personnel | 10,000 ◉ |
| – Reserve troops | 0 ◉ |
| – Paramilitary forces | 9,800 ◉ |
| 🛩️ Military aircraft | 0 ◉ |
| – incl. combat aircraft | 0 ◉ |
| – incl. bombers | 0 ◉ |
| – incl. helicopters | 0 ◉ |
| ⚓️ Military ships | 0 ◉ |
| – incl. aircraft carriers | 0 ◉ |
| – incl. submarines | 0 ◉ |
| 🚛 Main battle tanks | 0 ◉ |
| 💥 Nuclear warheads | 0 ◉ |
| Global Military Index | 17.3 (#143) ◉ |
| 🪖 Military personnel | 28,000 ◉ |
| – Reserve troops | 0 ◉ |
| – Paramilitary forces | 26,000 ◉ |
| 🛩️ Military aircraft | 39 ◉ |
| – incl. combat aircraft | 0 ◉ |
| – incl. bombers | 0 ◉ |
| – incl. helicopters | 25 ◉ |
| ⚓️ Military ships | 0 ◉ |
| – incl. aircraft carriers | 0 ◉ |
| – incl. submarines | 0 ◉ |
| 🚛 Main battle tanks | 0 ◉ |
| 💥 Nuclear warheads | 0 ◉ |
🇨🇷 Costa Rica Global Military Index
7.4
Global Rank: #169
| 🪖 Manpower (15%) | 49.5 | Active, reserve & paramilitary: 2940 effective |
| 🛡️ Ground Firepower (20%) | 0.0 | Main battle tanks: 0 |
| ⚓ Naval Power (20%) | 0.0 | Weighted by ship type: carriers, submarines, destroyers... |
| ✈️ Air Power (25%) | 0.0 | Weighted by aircraft type: combat, bombers, helicopters... |
| ☢️ Nuclear Deterrent (10%) | 0.0 | No declared nuclear capability |
| 💰 Defense Budget (10%) | 0.0 | Data unavailable |
🇵🇦 Panama Global Military Index
17.3
Global Rank: #143
| 🪖 Manpower (15%) | 55.6 | Active, reserve & paramilitary: 7800 effective |
| 🛡️ Ground Firepower (20%) | 0.0 | Main battle tanks: 0 |
| ⚓ Naval Power (20%) | 0.0 | Weighted by ship type: carriers, submarines, destroyers... |
| ✈️ Air Power (25%) | 36.0 | Weighted by aircraft type: combat, bombers, helicopters... |
| ☢️ Nuclear Deterrent (10%) | 0.0 | No declared nuclear capability |
| 💰 Defense Budget (10%) | 0.0 | Data unavailable |
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| Population | 5.1 million ◉ |
| GDP | $86.5 billion ◉ |
| GDP per capita | $16,942 ◉ |
| Military Budget | $0 |
| Share of GDP in Milex | 0.0% |
| Share of Govt Expenditures | 0.0% |
| Military spends per capita | $ |
| Population | 4.5 million ◉ |
| GDP | $83.3 billion ◉ |
| GDP per capita | $18,686 ◉ |
| Military Budget | $111.6 million |
| Share of GDP in Milex | 1.0% |
| Share of Govt Expenditures | 3.8% |
| Military spends per capita | $38 |
Costa Rica Geography
| Land Area | 51,060 km² ◉ |
| Coastline Length | 1,290 km ◉ |
Panama Geography
| Land Area | 74,340 km² ◉ |
| Coastline Length | 2,490 km ◉ |
Military Forces Chart
Economic Metrics Chart
Military Budget Evolution
Military Personnel Evolution
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has more military personnel, Costa Rica or Panama?
Panama has approximately 28,000 active military personnel compared to Costa Rica's 10,000, giving Panama a 3:1 numerical advantage.
Which country spends more on defense, Costa Rica or Panama?
Panama has a larger defense budget at $112 million compared to Costa Rica's $0 million annually.
Do Costa Rica and Panama have nuclear weapons?
Neither Costa Rica nor Panama currently possesses nuclear weapons.