GlobalMilitary.net Open-source military intelligence Updated daily
Head-to-head

Military Strength: Flag of Dominican Republic Dominican Republic vs Flag of Nicaragua Nicaragua

Dominican Republic (ranked #100 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Nicaragua (#119) on the ARMS Index. Dominican Republic fields 71,000 active troops — 5.9:1 Nicaragua's 12,000, backed by 15,000 paramilitary. Dominican Republic's $1.0B defense budget is 10:1 that of Nicaragua ($0.10B).

ARMS (Aggregate Rating of Military Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Dominican Republic Dominican RepublicWorld #100 20.6
ARMS Index / 100

Dominican Republic leads on 3 of 6 pillars

Flag of Nicaragua NicaraguaWorld #119 16.9
  • 61.471K active troops Manpower15 % 47.612K active troops
  • 21.65 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 44.989 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 31.28 combat aircraft Air power25 % 14.10 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 33.3$994M budget Defense budget10 % 17.4$98M budget
Dominican Republic Nicaragua Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×0.95 vs ×0.90 · Methodology
Key figures
Dominican Republic Nicaragua Ratio
Defense budget $994M $98M 🇩🇴 10×
– share of GDP 0.8% 0.5% 🇩🇴 1.6×
Active personnel 71,000 12,000 🇩🇴 5.9×
Combat aircraft 8 0 🇩🇴
Warships 0 0 —
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 5 89 🇳🇮 18×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 0 —
Paramilitary forces 15,000 0 🇩🇴
Military aircraft (all types) 77 17 🇩🇴 4.5×
– helicopters 36 11 🇩🇴 3.3×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $87 $14 🇩🇴 6.1×
Population 11.4M 6.9M 🇩🇴 1.7×
GDP $124B $20B 🇩🇴 6.3×
GDP per capita $10,876 $2,848 🇩🇴 3.8×
Land area 48,320 km² 119,990 km² 🇳🇮 2.5×
Coastline 1,288 km 910 km 🇩🇴 1.4×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇩🇴 Dominican RepublicEMB-314 Super Tucano ×8
Defense budget history Dominican Republic ×1.6 · Nicaragua ×1.3 since 2020
Military personnel history

Wargame Simulation

Run the Dominican Republic vs Nicaragua simulation →
Explore this matchup
Go deeper · same matchup, other lenses
Air forces Wargame simulator
Change opponent
Dominican Republic vsUruguayGuatemalaBoliviaEl SalvadorCuba
Nicaragua vsHondurasParaguayEl SalvadorJamaicaGuatemala
Related comparisons & rankings
Strongest militaries in the world (2026) Coalition Builder: compare alliances & blocs

Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Dominican Republic or Nicaragua?
Dominican Republic has approximately 71,000 active military personnel compared to Nicaragua's 12,000, giving Dominican Republic a 5.9:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Dominican Republic or Nicaragua?
Dominican Republic operates 8 combat aircraft compared to Nicaragua's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Which country spends more on defense, Dominican Republic or Nicaragua?
Dominican Republic has a larger defense budget at $994 million (10:1 more) compared to Nicaragua's $98 million annually.
Do Dominican Republic and Nicaragua have nuclear weapons?
Neither Dominican Republic nor Nicaragua currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Dominican Republic and Nicaragua compare?
Nicaragua operates 89 main battle tanks compared to Dominican Republic's 5. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.