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Military Strength: Flag of Denmark Denmark vs Flag of Norway Norway

Norway (ranked #43 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Denmark (#47) on the ATLAS Index. Denmark fields 14,500 active troops vs 23,250 for Norway, backed by 40,000 reserves. Denmark allocates $14B to defense compared to $16B for Norway.

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Denmark DenmarkWorld #47 30.7
ATLAS Index / 100

Norway leads on 4 of 6 pillars

Flag of Norway NorwayWorld #43 32.4
  • 34.014K active troops Manpower10 % 35.923K active troops
  • 31.544 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 29.138 battle tanks
  • 40.252 warships Naval power20 % 40.752 warships
  • 30.927 combat aircraft Air power25 % 35.452 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 32.7$14B budget Defense budget15 % 37.3$16B budget
Denmark Norway 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
Denmark Norway Ratio
Defense budget $14B $16B 🇳🇴 1.2×
– share of GDP 3.2% 3.4% 🇳🇴 1.1×
Active personnel 14,500 23,250 🇳🇴 1.6×
Combat aircraft 27 52 🇳🇴 1.9×
Warships 52 52 —
– submarines 0 6 🇳🇴
Main battle tanks 44 38 🇩🇰 1.2×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 44,000 40,000 🇩🇰 1.1×
Paramilitary forces 0 0 —
Military aircraft (all types) 94 111 🇳🇴 1.2×
– helicopters 34 34 —
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $2,261 $2,930 🇳🇴 1.3×
Population 6M 5.6M 🇩🇰 1.1×
GDP $463B $531B 🇳🇴 1.1×
GDP per capita $76,970 $94,594 🇳🇴 1.2×
Land area 2,220,072 km² 365,957 km² 🇩🇰 6.1×
Coastline 21 km 83,281 km 🇳🇴 3966×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇩🇰 DenmarkF-35 Lightning II ×27Leopard 2 ×44Thetis-class ×4
🇳🇴 NorwayF-35 Lightning II ×52Leopard 2 ×38Ula-class ×6
Defense budget history Denmark ×2.6 · Norway ×1.9 since 2021
Military personnel history
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Denmark or Norway?
Norway has approximately 23,250 active military personnel compared to Denmark's 14,500, giving Norway a 1.6:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Denmark or Norway?
Norway operates 52 combat aircraft compared to Denmark's 27. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Denmark or Norway?
Denmark and Norway both have 52 warships. Denmark operates 0 submarines while Norway has 6.
Which country spends more on defense, Denmark or Norway?
Norway has a larger defense budget at $16.4 billion compared to Denmark's $13.6 billion annually.
Do Denmark and Norway have nuclear weapons?
Neither Denmark nor Norway currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Denmark and Norway compare?
Denmark operates 44 main battle tanks compared to Norway's 38. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.