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

Sweden (ranked #32 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Denmark (#42) on the ARMS Index. Denmark fields 15,000 active troops vs 15,000 for Sweden, backed by 44,000 reserves. Denmark allocates $14B to defense compared to $15B for Sweden.

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Flag of Denmark DenmarkWorld #42 42.8
ARMS Index / 100

Sweden leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of Sweden SwedenWorld #32 45.9
  • 56.915K active troops Manpower15 % 60.115K active troops
  • 42.544 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 45.5110 battle tanks
  • 39.5109 warships Naval power20 % 43.9232 warships
  • 44.657 combat aircraft Air power25 % 50.996 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 55.6$14B budget Defense budget10 % 56.6$15B budget
Denmark Sweden Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×1.20 vs ×1.18 · Methodology
Key figures
Denmark Sweden Ratio
Defense budget $14B $15B 🇸🇪 1.1×
– share of GDP 3.2% 2.5% 🇩🇰 1.3×
Active personnel 15,000 15,000 —
Combat aircraft 57 96 🇸🇪 1.7×
Warships 109 232 🇸🇪 2.1×
– submarines 0 5 🇸🇪
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) 123 178 🇸🇪 1.4×
– helicopters 34 53 🇸🇪 1.6×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $2,273 $1,428 🇩🇰 1.6×
Population 6M 10.6M 🇸🇪 1.8×
GDP $425B $604B 🇸🇪 1.4×
GDP per capita $71,026 $57,117 🇩🇰 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-16 Fighting Falcon ×36Leopard 2 ×44Thetis-class ×4
🇸🇪 SwedenJAS 39 Gripen ×96Leopard 2 ×110Götland-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 15,000 active military personnel compared to Denmark's 15,000.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Denmark or Sweden?
Sweden operates 96 combat aircraft compared to Denmark's 57. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Denmark or Sweden?
Sweden has a larger navy with 232 vessels compared to Denmark's 109 ships. Denmark operates 0 submarines while Sweden has 5.
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.