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Military Strength: Flag of Eritrea Eritrea vs Flag of Sudan Sudan

Sudan (ranked #73 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Eritrea (#85) on the ATLAS Index. Eritrea fields 301,750 active troops — 2.9:1 Sudan's 104,300. Sudan's $0.4B defense budget is 2.1:1 that of Eritrea ($0.2B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Eritrea EritreaWorld #85 19.8
ATLAS Index / 100

Sudan leads on 3 of 6 pillars

Flag of Sudan SudanWorld #73 21.8
  • 52.7301K active troops Manpower10 % 42.0104K active troops
  • 24.4270 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 45.1940 battle tanks
  • 19.818 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 14.62 combat aircraft Air power25 % 24.6100 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 11.9$182M budget Defense budget15 % 14.2$375M budget
Eritrea Sudan 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
Eritrea Sudan Ratio
Defense budget $182M $375M 🇸🇩 2.1×
– share of GDP 20.9% 0.9% 🇪🇷 22×
Active personnel 301,750 104,300 🇪🇷 2.9×
Combat aircraft 2 100 🇸🇩 50×
Warships 18 0 🇪🇷
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 270 940 🇸🇩 3.5×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 0 —
Paramilitary forces 0 60,000 🇸🇩
Military aircraft (all types) 20 219 🇸🇩 11×
– helicopters 13 96 🇸🇩 7.4×
Budget share of govt spending 46.4% 9.5% 🇪🇷 4.9×
Budget per capita $75 $8 🇪🇷 9.5×
Population 3.6M 51.7M 🇸🇩 14×
GDP $2.1B $60B 🇸🇩 29×
GDP per capita $572 $1,165 🇸🇩 2.0×
Land area 125,000 km² 1,731,671 km² 🇸🇩 14×
Coastline 2,234 km 853 km 🇪🇷 2.6×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇪🇷 EritreaSu-27 Flanker ×2T-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×270
🇸🇩 SudanJL-8 ×23T-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×400
Defense budget history Eritrea ×1.7 · Sudan ×1.5 since 1993
Military personnel history
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Eritrea or Sudan?
Eritrea has approximately 301,750 active military personnel compared to Sudan's 104,300, giving Eritrea a 2.9:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Eritrea or Sudan?
Sudan operates 100 combat aircraft compared to Eritrea's 2. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Eritrea or Sudan?
Eritrea has a larger navy with 18 warships compared to Sudan's 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Eritrea or Sudan?
Sudan has a larger defense budget at $375 million (2.1:1 more) compared to Eritrea's $182 million annually.
Do Eritrea and Sudan have nuclear weapons?
Neither Eritrea nor Sudan currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Eritrea and Sudan compare?
Sudan operates 940 main battle tanks compared to Eritrea's 270. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.