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

Ecuador (ranked #63 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Cuba (#69) on the ATLAS Index. Cuba fields 49,000 active troops vs 40,250 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 #69 23.1
ATLAS Index / 100

Ecuador leads on 3 of 6 pillars

Flag of Ecuador EcuadorWorld #63 23.9
  • 57.049K active troops Manpower10 % 42.340K active troops
  • 35.8400 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 21.054 battle tanks
  • 25.515 warships Naval power20 % 27.934 warships
  • 12.90 combat aircraft Air power25 % 24.617 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 49,000 40,250 🇨🇺 1.2×
Combat aircraft 0 17 🇪🇨
Warships 15 34 🇪🇨 2.3×
– submarines 0 2 🇪🇨
Main battle tanks 400 54 🇨🇺 7.4×
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) 20 156 🇪🇨 7.8×
– helicopters 13 72 🇪🇨 5.5×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $11 $150 🇪🇨 13×
Population 10.9M 18.3M 🇪🇨 1.7×
GDP $107B $130B 🇪🇨 1.2×
GDP per capita $9,815 $7,125 🇨🇺 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 ×300
🇪🇨 EcuadorEMB-314 Super Tucano ×17Type 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 49,000 active military personnel compared to Ecuador's 40,250.
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 34 warships compared to Cuba's 15. 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 400 main battle tanks compared to Ecuador's 54. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.