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Military Strength: Flag of Cuba Cuba vs Flag of Mexico Mexico

Mexico (ranked #38 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Cuba (#64) on the ATLAS Index. Mexico fields 341,000 active troops — 4.5:1 Cuba's 76,000, backed by 81,500 reserves and 120,000 paramilitary. Mexico's $17B defense budget is 130:1 that of Cuba ($0.1B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Cuba CubaWorld #64 24.1
ATLAS Index / 100

Mexico leads on 4 of 6 pillars

Flag of Mexico MexicoWorld #38 33.2
  • 56.976K active troops Manpower10 % 57.8341K active troops
  • 40.8113 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 34.40 battle tanks
  • 25.533 warships Naval power20 % 28.8204 warships
  • 13.00 combat aircraft Air power25 % 29.84 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 10.9$129M budget Defense budget15 % 46.1$17B budget
Cuba Mexico 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 Mexico Ratio
Defense budget $129M $17B 🇲🇽 130×
– share of GDP 2.9% 0.9% 🇨🇺 3.2×
Active personnel 76,000 341,000 🇲🇽 4.5×
Combat aircraft 0 4 🇲🇽
Warships 33 204 🇲🇽 6.2×
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 113 0 🇨🇺
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 39,000 81,500 🇲🇽 2.1×
Paramilitary forces 1,146,500 120,000 🇨🇺 9.6×
Military aircraft (all types) 20 431 🇲🇽 22×
– helicopters 13 168 🇲🇽 13×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $11 $128 🇲🇽 11×
Population 11M 130.9M 🇲🇽 12×
GDP $107B $1.9T 🇲🇽 17×
GDP per capita $9,777 $14,186 🇲🇽 1.5×
Land area 109,884 km² 1,943,945 km² 🇲🇽 18×
Coastline 3,735 km 9,330 km 🇲🇽 2.5×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇨🇺 CubaT-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×1,100
🇲🇽 MexicoF-5E Tiger II ×3Sigma-class ×1
Defense budget history
Military personnel history
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Cuba vsVenezuelaEcuadorArgentinaBoliviaPeru
Mexico vsColombiaChileCanadaPeruBrazil
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Cuba or Mexico?
Mexico has approximately 341,000 active military personnel compared to Cuba's 76,000, giving Mexico a 4.5:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Cuba or Mexico?
Mexico operates 4 combat aircraft compared to Cuba's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Cuba or Mexico?
Mexico has a larger navy with 204 vessels compared to Cuba's 33 ships.
Which country spends more on defense, Cuba or Mexico?
Mexico has a larger defense budget at $16.7 billion (130:1 more) compared to Cuba's $129 million annually.
Do Cuba and Mexico have nuclear weapons?
Neither Cuba nor Mexico currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Cuba and Mexico compare?
Cuba operates 113 main battle tanks compared to Mexico's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.