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Military Strength: Flag of Djibouti Djibouti vs Flag of Somalia Somalia

Djibouti (ranked #120 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Somalia (#157) on the ATLAS Index. Djibouti fields 10,450 active troops vs 19,800 for Somalia. Somalia's $0.2B defense budget is 5.5:1 that of Djibouti ($0.04B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Djibouti DjiboutiWorld #120 11.5
ATLAS Index / 100

Djibouti leads overall, ahead on 2 of 6 pillars

Flag of Somalia SomaliaWorld #157 4.5
  • 23.010K active troops Manpower10 % 26.719K active troops
  • 0.00 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 0.00 battle tanks
  • 22.124 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 13.60 combat aircraft Air power25 % 0.00 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 7.9$36M budget Defense budget15 % 12.1$199M budget
Djibouti Somalia 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 Somalia Ratio
Defense budget $36M $199M 🇸🇴 5.5×
– share of GDP 2.6% 1.5% 🇩🇯 1.7×
Active personnel 10,450 19,800 🇸🇴 1.9×
Combat aircraft 0 0 —
Warships 24 0 🇩🇯
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 0 0 —
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) 15 0 🇩🇯
– helicopters 10 0 🇩🇯
Budget share of govt spending 9.1% 20.8% 🇸🇴 2.3×
Budget per capita $41 $10 🇩🇯 4.0×
Population 1.2M 19.7M 🇸🇴 17×
GDP $4.6B $13B 🇸🇴 2.8×
GDP per capita $3,906 $661 🇩🇯 5.9×
Land area 23,180 km² 627,337 km² 🇸🇴 27×
Coastline 314 km 3,333 km 🇸🇴 11×
Defense budget history
Military personnel history
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Somalia vsSierra LeoneLiberiaSeychellesCape VerdeLesotho
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Djibouti or Somalia?
Somalia has approximately 19,800 active military personnel compared to Djibouti's 10,450, giving Somalia a 1.9:1 numerical advantage.
Who has the larger navy, Djibouti or Somalia?
Djibouti has a larger navy with 24 warships compared to Somalia's 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Djibouti or Somalia?
Somalia has a larger defense budget at $199 million (5.5:1 more) compared to Djibouti's $36 million annually.
Do Djibouti and Somalia have nuclear weapons?
Neither Djibouti nor Somalia currently possesses nuclear weapons.