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Military Strength: Flag of Spain Spain vs Flag of Romania Romania

Spain (ranked #21 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Romania (#40) on the ATLAS Index. Spain fields 199,000 active troops vs 128,000 for Romania, backed by 15,150 reserves and 87,450 paramilitary. Spain's $35B defense budget is 3.9:1 that of Romania ($8.8B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Spain SpainWorld #21 42.1
ATLAS Index / 100

Spain leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of Romania RomaniaWorld #40 32.8
  • 48.9199K active troops Manpower10 % 44.7128K active troops
  • 46.7317 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 41.9328 battle tanks
  • 46.287 warships Naval power20 % 34.533 warships
  • 43.5178 combat aircraft Air power25 % 28.349 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 48.0$35B budget Defense budget15 % 37.6$8.8B budget
Spain Romania 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
Spain Romania Ratio
Defense budget $35B $8.8B 🇪🇸 3.9×
– share of GDP 2.0% 2.3% 🇷🇴 1.1×
Active personnel 199,000 128,000 🇪🇸 1.6×
Combat aircraft 178 49 🇪🇸 3.6×
Warships 87 33 🇪🇸 2.6×
– submarines 2 0 🇪🇸
Main battle tanks 317 328 🇷🇴 ≈
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 12 more rowsHide the 12 extra rows
Reserve troops 15,150 55,000 🇷🇴 3.6×
Paramilitary forces 87,450 57,000 🇪🇸 1.5×
Military aircraft (all types) 509 166 🇪🇸 3.1×
– helicopters 178 64 🇪🇸 2.8×
Aircraft carriers 1 0 🇪🇸
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $707 $462 🇪🇸 1.5×
Population 48.8M 19.1M 🇪🇸 2.6×
GDP $1.7T $383B 🇪🇸 4.5×
GDP per capita $35,327 $20,080 🇪🇸 1.8×
Land area 498,980 km² 231,291 km² 🇪🇸 2.2×
Coastline 4,964 km 225 km 🇪🇸 22×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇪🇸 SpainF/A-18 Hornet ×81Leopard 2 ×274Juan Carlos I-class ×1
🇷🇴 RomaniaF-16 Fighting Falcon ×49T-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×319Broadsword-class ×2
Defense budget history Spain ×2.4 · Romania ×1.6 since 2021
Military personnel history
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Romania vsNetherlandsNorwayPolandSwedenGreece
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Spain or Romania?
Spain has approximately 199,000 active military personnel compared to Romania's 128,000, giving Spain a 1.6:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Spain or Romania?
Spain operates 178 combat aircraft compared to Romania's 49. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Spain or Romania?
Spain has a larger navy with 87 vessels compared to Romania's 33 ships. Spain operates 2 submarines while Romania has 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Spain or Romania?
Spain has a larger defense budget at $34.5 billion (3.9:1 more) compared to Romania's $8.8 billion annually.
Do Spain and Romania have nuclear weapons?
Neither Spain nor Romania currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Spain and Romania compare?
Romania operates 328 main battle tanks compared to Spain's 317. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.