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Military Strength: Flag of Spain Spain vs Flag of Sweden Sweden

Spain (ranked #23 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Sweden (#41) on the ATLAS Index. Spain fields 120,350 active troops — 4.0:1 Sweden's 29,750, backed by 15,150 reserves and 87,450 paramilitary. Spain's $35B defense budget is 2.3:1 that of Sweden ($15B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Spain SpainWorld #23 41.8
ATLAS Index / 100

Spain leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of Sweden SwedenWorld #41 32.5
  • 49.0120K active troops Manpower10 % 37.229K active troops
  • 47.8299 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 36.4110 battle tanks
  • 44.343 warships Naval power20 % 35.432 warships
  • 43.2179 combat aircraft Air power25 % 34.796 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 48.0$35B budget Defense budget15 % 36.0$15B budget
Spain Sweden 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 Sweden Ratio
Defense budget $35B $15B 🇪🇸 2.3×
– share of GDP 2.0% 2.5% 🇸🇪 1.2×
Active personnel 120,350 29,750 🇪🇸 4.0×
Combat aircraft 179 96 🇪🇸 1.9×
Warships 43 32 🇪🇸 1.3×
– submarines 2 4 🇸🇪 2.0×
Main battle tanks 299 110 🇪🇸 2.7×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 15,150 32,900 🇸🇪 2.2×
Paramilitary forces 87,450 21,200 🇪🇸 4.1×
Military aircraft (all types) 518 180 🇪🇸 2.9×
– helicopters 183 53 🇪🇸 3.5×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $699 $1,424 🇸🇪 2.0×
Population 49.4M 10.6M 🇪🇸 4.7×
GDP $1.9T $669B 🇪🇸 2.8×
GDP per capita $38,627 $63,133 🇸🇪 1.6×
Land area 498,980 km² 407,284 km² 🇪🇸 1.2×
Coastline 4,964 km 3,218 km 🇪🇸 1.5×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇪🇸 SpainF/A-18 Hornet ×81Leopard 2 ×274Agosta-class ×1
🇸🇪 SwedenJAS 39 Gripen ×96Leopard 2 ×111Götland-class ×3
Defense budget history Spain ×2.4 · Sweden ×1.7 since 2021
Military personnel history
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Spain or Sweden?
Spain has approximately 120,350 active military personnel compared to Sweden's 29,750, giving Spain a 4.0:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Spain or Sweden?
Spain operates 179 combat aircraft compared to Sweden's 96. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Spain or Sweden?
Spain has a larger navy with 43 warships compared to Sweden's 32. Spain operates 2 submarines while Sweden has 4.
Which country spends more on defense, Spain or Sweden?
Spain has a larger defense budget at $34.5 billion (2.3:1 more) compared to Sweden's $15.1 billion annually.
Do Spain and Sweden have nuclear weapons?
Neither Spain nor Sweden currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Spain and Sweden compare?
Spain operates 299 main battle tanks compared to Sweden's 110. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.