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Military Strength: Flag of Djibouti Djibouti vs Flag of Ethiopia Ethiopia

Ethiopia (ranked #68 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Djibouti (#120) on the ATLAS Index. Ethiopia fields 138,000 active troops — 11:1 Djibouti's 13,000. Ethiopia's $1B defense budget is 29:1 that of Djibouti ($0.04B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Djibouti DjiboutiWorld #120 11.7
ATLAS Index / 100

Ethiopia leads on 4 of 6 pillars

Flag of Ethiopia EthiopiaWorld #68 23.7
  • 23.013K active troops Manpower10 % 60.5138K active troops
  • 0.00 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 39.0338 battle tanks
  • 22.129 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 14.40 combat aircraft Air power25 % 24.034 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 7.9$36M budget Defense budget15 % 23.8$1B budget
Djibouti Ethiopia 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
Djibouti Ethiopia Ratio
Defense budget $36M $1B 🇪🇹 29×
– share of GDP 2.6% 0.7% 🇩🇯 3.8×
Active personnel 13,000 138,000 🇪🇹 11×
Combat aircraft 0 34 🇪🇹
Warships 29 0 🇩🇯
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 0 338 🇪🇹
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 0 —
Paramilitary forces 2,000 0 🇩🇯
Military aircraft (all types) 17 99 🇪🇹 5.8×
– helicopters 10 31 🇪🇹 3.1×
Budget share of govt spending 9.1% — 🇩🇯
Budget per capita $41 $8 🇩🇯 5.2×
Population 1.2M 132.1M 🇪🇹 113×
GDP $4.2B $150B 🇪🇹 36×
GDP per capita $3,553 $1,134 🇩🇯 3.1×
Land area 23,180 km² 1,096,630 km² 🇪🇹 47×
Coastline 314 km 0 km 🇩🇯
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇪🇹 EthiopiaSu-27 Flanker ×20T-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×1,190
Defense budget history
Military personnel history
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Djibouti or Ethiopia?
Ethiopia has approximately 138,000 active military personnel compared to Djibouti's 13,000, giving Ethiopia a 11:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Djibouti or Ethiopia?
Ethiopia operates 34 combat aircraft compared to Djibouti's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Djibouti or Ethiopia?
Djibouti has a larger navy with 29 vessels compared to Ethiopia's 0 ships.
Which country spends more on defense, Djibouti or Ethiopia?
Ethiopia has a larger defense budget at $1 billion (29:1 more) compared to Djibouti's $36 million annually.
Do Djibouti and Ethiopia have nuclear weapons?
Neither Djibouti nor Ethiopia currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Djibouti and Ethiopia compare?
Ethiopia operates 338 main battle tanks compared to Djibouti's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.