Military Strength:
Cuba vs
Jamaica
Cuba (ranked #68 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Jamaica (#137) on the ATLAS Index. Cuba fields 49,000 active troops — 12:1 Jamaica's 3,950, backed by 39,000 reserves and 1,146,500 paramilitary. Jamaica's $0.3B defense budget is 2.4:1 that of Cuba ($0.1B).
ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Cuba
Jamaica
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 | Jamaica | Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defense budget | $129M | $308M | 🇯🇲 2.4× |
| – share of GDP | 2.9% | 1.4% | 🇨🇺 2.1× |
| Active personnel | 49,000 | 3,950 | 🇨🇺 12× |
| Combat aircraft | 0 | 0 | — |
| Warships | 15 | 0 | 🇨🇺 |
| – submarines | 0 | 0 | — |
| Main battle tanks | 400 | 0 | 🇨🇺 |
| Nuclear warheads | 0 | 0 | — |
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
| Reserve troops | 39,000 | 2,580 | 🇨🇺 15× |
| Paramilitary forces | 1,146,500 | 0 | 🇨🇺 |
| Military aircraft (all types) | 20 | 18 | 🇨🇺 1.1× |
| – helicopters | 13 | 15 | 🇯🇲 1.2× |
| Budget share of govt spending | — | — | — |
| Budget per capita | $11 | $109 | 🇯🇲 9.5× |
| Population | 10.9M | 2.8M | 🇨🇺 3.9× |
| GDP | $107B | $23B | 🇨🇺 4.7× |
| GDP per capita | $9,815 | $8,003 | 🇨🇺 1.2× |
| Land area | 109,884 km² | 10,831 km² | 🇨🇺 10× |
| Coastline | 3,735 km | 1,022 km | 🇨🇺 3.7× |
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇨🇺 CubaT-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×300
Defense budget history
Military personnel history
Explore this matchup
Go deeper · same matchup, other lenses
Change opponent
Related comparisons & rankings
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has more military personnel, Cuba or Jamaica?
Cuba has approximately 49,000 active military personnel compared to Jamaica's 3,950, giving Cuba a 12:1 numerical advantage.
Who has the larger navy, Cuba or Jamaica?
Cuba has a larger navy with 15 warships compared to Jamaica's 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Cuba or Jamaica?
Jamaica has a larger defense budget at $308 million (2.4:1 more) compared to Cuba's $129 million annually.
Do Cuba and Jamaica have nuclear weapons?
Neither Cuba nor Jamaica currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Cuba and Jamaica compare?
Cuba operates 400 main battle tanks compared to Jamaica's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.