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Military Strength: Flag of Denmark Denmark vs Flag of Sweden Sweden

Sweden (ranked #41 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Denmark (#47) on the ATLAS Index. Sweden fields 29,750 active troops — 2.1:1 Denmark's 14,500, backed by 32,900 reserves and 21,200 paramilitary. Denmark allocates $14B to defense compared to $15B for Sweden.

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

Sweden leads on 4 of 6 pillars

Flag of Sweden SwedenWorld #41 32.7
  • 34.014K active troops Manpower10 % 37.229K active troops
  • 31.544 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 36.4110 battle tanks
  • 40.252 warships Naval power20 % 35.432 warships
  • 30.927 combat aircraft Air power25 % 35.496 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 32.7$14B budget Defense budget15 % 36.0$15B budget
Denmark Sweden 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 Sweden Ratio
Defense budget $14B $15B 🇸🇪 1.1×
– share of GDP 3.2% 2.5% 🇩🇰 1.3×
Active personnel 14,500 29,750 🇸🇪 2.1×
Combat aircraft 27 96 🇸🇪 3.6×
Warships 52 32 🇩🇰 1.6×
– submarines 0 4 🇸🇪
Main battle tanks 44 110 🇸🇪 2.5×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 44,000 32,900 🇩🇰 1.3×
Paramilitary forces 0 21,200 🇸🇪
Military aircraft (all types) 94 184 🇸🇪 2.0×
– helicopters 34 53 🇸🇪 1.6×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $2,261 $1,424 🇩🇰 1.6×
Population 6M 10.6M 🇸🇪 1.8×
GDP $463B $669B 🇸🇪 1.4×
GDP per capita $76,970 $63,133 🇩🇰 1.2×
Land area 2,220,072 km² 407,284 km² 🇩🇰 5.5×
Coastline 21 km 3,218 km 🇸🇪 153×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇩🇰 DenmarkF-35 Lightning II ×27Leopard 2 ×44Thetis-class ×4
🇸🇪 SwedenJAS 39 Gripen ×96Leopard 2 ×111Götland-class ×3
Defense budget history Denmark ×2.6 · Sweden ×1.7 since 2021
Military personnel history
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Denmark or Sweden?
Sweden has approximately 29,750 active military personnel compared to Denmark's 14,500, giving Sweden a 2.1:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Denmark or Sweden?
Sweden operates 96 combat aircraft compared to Denmark's 27. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Denmark or Sweden?
Denmark has a larger navy with 52 warships compared to Sweden's 32. Denmark operates 0 submarines while Sweden has 4.
Which country spends more on defense, Denmark or Sweden?
Sweden has a larger defense budget at $15.1 billion compared to Denmark's $13.6 billion annually.
Do Denmark and Sweden have nuclear weapons?
Neither Denmark nor Sweden currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Denmark and Sweden compare?
Sweden operates 110 main battle tanks compared to Denmark's 44. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.