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

Eritrea (ranked #83 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than South Sudan (#102) on the ATLAS Index. Eritrea fields 201,750 active troops — 3.8:1 South Sudan's 53,000. Eritrea allocates $0.2B to defense compared to $0.2B for South Sudan.

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Eritrea EritreaWorld #83 19.7
ATLAS Index / 100

Eritrea leads on 4 of 6 pillars

Flag of South Sudan South SudanWorld #102 14.4
  • 52.6201K active troops Manpower10 % 46.653K active troops
  • 24.065 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 21.230 battle tanks
  • 19.823 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 14.72 combat aircraft Air power25 % 13.80 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 11.9$182M budget Defense budget15 % 12.7$240M budget
Eritrea South 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 South Sudan Ratio
Defense budget $182M $240M 🇸🇸 1.3×
– share of GDP 20.9% 2.0% 🇪🇷 10×
Active personnel 201,750 53,000 🇪🇷 3.8×
Combat aircraft 2 0 🇪🇷
Warships 23 0 🇪🇷
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 65 30 🇪🇷 2.2×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 0 —
Paramilitary forces 0 0 —
Military aircraft (all types) 20 20 —
– helicopters 13 15 🇸🇸 1.2×
Budget share of govt spending 46.4% — 🇪🇷
Budget per capita $75 $20 🇪🇷 3.7×
Population 3.5M 11.9M 🇸🇸 3.4×
GDP $2.1B $12B 🇸🇸 5.8×
GDP per capita $584 $1,005 🇸🇸 1.7×
Land area 125,000 km² 644,329 km² 🇸🇸 5.2×
Coastline 2,234 km 0 km 🇪🇷
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇪🇷 EritreaSu-27 Flanker ×2T-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×270
Defense budget history
Military personnel history
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Eritrea vsEthiopiaKenyaLibyaSudanCongo Democratic Republic
South Sudan vsChadZambiaTanzaniaAngolaUganda
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Eritrea or South Sudan?
Eritrea has approximately 201,750 active military personnel compared to South Sudan's 53,000, giving Eritrea a 3.8:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Eritrea or South Sudan?
Eritrea operates 2 combat aircraft compared to South Sudan's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Eritrea or South Sudan?
Eritrea has a larger navy with 23 vessels compared to South Sudan's 0 ships.
Which country spends more on defense, Eritrea or South Sudan?
South Sudan has a larger defense budget at $240 million compared to Eritrea's $182 million annually.
Do Eritrea and South Sudan have nuclear weapons?
Neither Eritrea nor South Sudan currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Eritrea and South Sudan compare?
Eritrea operates 65 main battle tanks compared to South Sudan's 30. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.