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Military Strength: Flag of Cuba Cuba vs Flag of Nicaragua Nicaragua

Cuba (ranked #64 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Nicaragua (#111) on the ATLAS Index. Cuba fields 76,000 active troops — 6.3:1 Nicaragua's 12,000, backed by 39,000 reserves and 1,146,500 paramilitary. Cuba allocates $0.1B to defense compared to $0.10B for Nicaragua.

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

Cuba leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of Nicaragua NicaraguaWorld #111 12.7
  • 56.976K active troops Manpower10 % 23.512K active troops
  • 40.8113 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 27.889 battle tanks
  • 25.533 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 13.00 combat aircraft Air power25 % 12.60 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 10.9$129M budget Defense budget15 % 10.2$98M budget
Cuba Nicaragua 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 Nicaragua Ratio
Defense budget $129M $98M 🇨🇺 1.3×
– share of GDP 2.9% 0.5% 🇨🇺 5.8×
Active personnel 76,000 12,000 🇨🇺 6.3×
Combat aircraft 0 0 —
Warships 33 0 🇨🇺
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 113 89 🇨🇺 1.3×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 39,000 0 🇨🇺
Paramilitary forces 1,146,500 0 🇨🇺
Military aircraft (all types) 20 17 🇨🇺 1.2×
– helicopters 13 11 🇨🇺 1.2×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $11 $14 🇳🇮 1.2×
Population 11M 6.9M 🇨🇺 1.6×
GDP $107B $20B 🇨🇺 5.5×
GDP per capita $9,777 $2,848 🇨🇺 3.4×
Land area 109,884 km² 119,990 km² 🇳🇮 1.1×
Coastline 3,735 km 910 km 🇨🇺 4.1×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇨🇺 CubaT-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×1,100
Defense budget history
Military personnel history
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Air forces
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Cuba vsVenezuelaEcuadorArgentinaBoliviaPeru
Nicaragua vsDominican RepublicHondurasEl SalvadorParaguayGuatemala
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Cuba or Nicaragua?
Cuba has approximately 76,000 active military personnel compared to Nicaragua's 12,000, giving Cuba a 6.3:1 numerical advantage.
Who has the larger navy, Cuba or Nicaragua?
Cuba has a larger navy with 33 vessels compared to Nicaragua's 0 ships.
Which country spends more on defense, Cuba or Nicaragua?
Cuba has a larger defense budget at $129 million compared to Nicaragua's $98 million annually.
Do Cuba and Nicaragua have nuclear weapons?
Neither Cuba nor Nicaragua currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Cuba and Nicaragua compare?
Cuba operates 113 main battle tanks compared to Nicaragua's 89. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.