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Military Strength: Flag of Cuba Cuba vs Flag of Ecuador Ecuador

Cuba (ranked #65 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Ecuador (#67) on the ATLAS Index. Cuba fields 76,000 active troops vs 42,000 for Ecuador, backed by 39,000 reserves and 1,146,500 paramilitary. Ecuador's $2.7B defense budget is 21:1 that of Cuba ($0.1B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Cuba CubaWorld #65 24.1
ATLAS Index / 100

Cuba leads overall, ahead on 2 of 6 pillars

Flag of Ecuador EcuadorWorld #67 23.8
  • 56.976K active troops Manpower10 % 42.342K active troops
  • 40.8113 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 21.654 battle tanks
  • 25.533 warships Naval power20 % 27.846 warships
  • 13.00 combat aircraft Air power25 % 23.717 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 10.9$129M budget Defense budget15 % 23.4$2.7B budget
Cuba Ecuador 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
Cuba Ecuador Ratio
Defense budget $129M $2.7B 🇪🇨 21×
– share of GDP 2.9% 2.2% 🇨🇺 1.3×
Active personnel 76,000 42,000 🇨🇺 1.8×
Combat aircraft 0 17 🇪🇨
Warships 33 46 🇪🇨 1.4×
– submarines 0 2 🇪🇨
Main battle tanks 113 54 🇨🇺 2.1×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 39,000 118,000 🇪🇨 3.0×
Paramilitary forces 1,146,500 500 🇨🇺 2293×
Military aircraft (all types) 20 105 🇪🇨 5.2×
– helicopters 13 46 🇪🇨 3.5×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $11 $151 🇪🇨 13×
Population 11M 18.1M 🇪🇨 1.7×
GDP $107B $125B 🇪🇨 1.2×
GDP per capita $9,777 $6,875 🇨🇺 1.4×
Land area 109,884 km² 256,369 km² 🇪🇨 2.3×
Coastline 3,735 km 2,237 km 🇨🇺 1.7×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇨🇺 CubaT-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×1,100
🇪🇨 EcuadorEMB-314 Super Tucano ×17AMX-13 ×108Type 209-class ×2
Defense budget history
Military personnel history
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Cuba vsVenezuelaBoliviaArgentinaUruguayPeru
Ecuador vsVenezuelaBoliviaArgentinaUruguayPeru
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Cuba or Ecuador?
Cuba has approximately 76,000 active military personnel compared to Ecuador's 42,000, giving Cuba a 1.8:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Cuba or Ecuador?
Ecuador operates 17 combat aircraft compared to Cuba's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Cuba or Ecuador?
Ecuador has a larger navy with 46 vessels compared to Cuba's 33 ships. Cuba operates 0 submarines while Ecuador has 2.
Which country spends more on defense, Cuba or Ecuador?
Ecuador has a larger defense budget at $2.7 billion (21:1 more) compared to Cuba's $129 million annually.
Do Cuba and Ecuador have nuclear weapons?
Neither Cuba nor Ecuador currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Cuba and Ecuador compare?
Cuba operates 113 main battle tanks compared to Ecuador's 54. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.