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Military Strength: Flag of Denmark Denmark vs Flag of Portugal Portugal

Denmark (ranked #47 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Portugal (#56) on the ATLAS Index. Denmark fields 14,500 active troops vs 27,250 for Portugal, backed by 23,500 reserves and 24,700 paramilitary. Denmark's $14B defense budget is 2.2:1 that of Portugal ($6.3B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Denmark DenmarkWorld #47 30.4
ATLAS Index / 100

Denmark leads on 4 of 6 pillars

Flag of Portugal PortugalWorld #56 27.5
  • 34.014K active troops Manpower10 % 36.127K active troops
  • 31.544 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 26.434 battle tanks
  • 40.252 warships Naval power20 % 34.726 warships
  • 29.621 combat aircraft Air power25 % 26.633 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 32.7$14B budget Defense budget15 % 31.4$6.3B budget
Denmark Portugal 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 Portugal Ratio
Defense budget $14B $6.3B 🇩🇰 2.2×
– share of GDP 3.2% 2.0% 🇩🇰 1.6×
Active personnel 14,500 27,250 🇵🇹 1.9×
Combat aircraft 21 33 🇵🇹 1.6×
Warships 52 26 🇩🇰 2.0×
– submarines 0 2 🇵🇹
Main battle tanks 44 34 🇩🇰 1.3×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 44,000 23,500 🇩🇰 1.9×
Paramilitary forces 0 24,700 🇵🇹
Military aircraft (all types) 88 102 🇵🇹 1.2×
– helicopters 34 29 🇩🇰 1.2×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $2,261 $580 🇩🇰 3.9×
Population 6M 10.8M 🇵🇹 1.8×
GDP $463B $347B 🇩🇰 1.3×
GDP per capita $76,970 $32,082 🇩🇰 2.4×
Land area 2,220,072 km² 91,119 km² 🇩🇰 24×
Coastline 21 km 1,793 km 🇵🇹 85×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇩🇰 DenmarkF-35 Lightning II ×21Leopard 2 ×44Thetis-class ×4
🇵🇹 PortugalF-16 Fighting Falcon ×28Leopard 2 ×34Type 214-class ×2
Defense budget history Denmark ×2.6 · Portugal ×1.6 since 2021
Military personnel history
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Portugal vsNorwayBelgiumFinlandBulgariaSweden
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Denmark or Portugal?
Portugal has approximately 27,250 active military personnel compared to Denmark's 14,500, giving Portugal a 1.9:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Denmark or Portugal?
Portugal operates 33 combat aircraft compared to Denmark's 21. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Denmark or Portugal?
Denmark has a larger navy with 52 warships compared to Portugal's 26. Denmark operates 0 submarines while Portugal has 2.
Which country spends more on defense, Denmark or Portugal?
Denmark has a larger defense budget at $13.6 billion (2.2:1 more) compared to Portugal's $6.3 billion annually.
Do Denmark and Portugal have nuclear weapons?
Neither Denmark nor Portugal currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Denmark and Portugal compare?
Denmark operates 44 main battle tanks compared to Portugal's 34. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.