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

Denmark (ranked #42 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Portugal (#52) on the ARMS Index. Portugal fields 52,000 active troops — 3.5:1 Denmark's 15,000, backed by 23,500 reserves and 24,700 paramilitary. Denmark's $14B defense budget is 2.2:1 that of Portugal ($6.3B).

ARMS (Aggregate Rating of Military Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Denmark DenmarkWorld #42 42.8
ARMS Index / 100

Denmark leads on 4 of 6 pillars

Flag of Portugal PortugalWorld #52 37.7
  • 56.915K active troops Manpower15 % 59.052K active troops
  • 42.544 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 41.434 battle tanks
  • 39.5109 warships Naval power20 % 35.334 warships
  • 44.757 combat aircraft Air power25 % 39.433 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 55.6$14B budget Defense budget10 % 48.6$6.3B budget
Denmark Portugal Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×1.20 vs ×1.12 · Methodology
Key figures
Denmark Portugal Ratio
Defense budget $14B $6.3B 🇩🇰 2.2×
– share of GDP 3.2% 2.0% 🇩🇰 1.6×
Active personnel 15,000 52,000 🇵🇹 3.5×
Combat aircraft 57 33 🇩🇰 1.7×
Warships 109 34 🇩🇰 3.2×
– 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) 123 100 🇩🇰 1.2×
– helicopters 34 28 🇩🇰 1.2×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $2,273 $586 🇩🇰 3.9×
Population 6M 10.7M 🇵🇹 1.8×
GDP $425B $313B 🇩🇰 1.4×
GDP per capita $71,026 $29,292 🇩🇰 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-16 Fighting Falcon ×36Leopard 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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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Denmark or Portugal?
Portugal has approximately 52,000 active military personnel compared to Denmark's 15,000, giving Portugal a 3.5:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Denmark or Portugal?
Denmark operates 57 combat aircraft compared to Portugal's 33. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Denmark or Portugal?
Denmark has a larger navy with 109 vessels compared to Portugal's 34 ships. 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.