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

Spain (ranked #17 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Sweden (#32) on the ARMS Index. Spain fields 199,000 active troops — 13:1 Sweden's 15,000, backed by 15,150 reserves and 87,450 paramilitary. Spain's $35B defense budget is 2.3:1 that of Sweden ($15B).

ARMS (Aggregate Rating of Military Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Spain SpainWorld #17 52.8
ARMS Index / 100

Spain leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of Sweden SwedenWorld #32 45.9
  • 69.9199K active troops Manpower15 % 60.115K active troops
  • 62.7317 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 45.5110 battle tanks
  • 47.687 warships Naval power20 % 43.9232 warships
  • 58.9178 combat aircraft Air power25 % 51.096 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 64.6$35B budget Defense budget10 % 56.6$15B budget
Spain Sweden Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×1.14 vs ×1.18 · Methodology
Key figures
Spain Sweden Ratio
Defense budget $35B $15B 🇪🇸 2.3×
– share of GDP 2.0% 2.5% 🇸🇪 1.2×
Active personnel 199,000 15,000 🇪🇸 13×
Combat aircraft 178 96 🇪🇸 1.9×
Warships 87 232 🇸🇪 2.7×
– submarines 2 5 🇸🇪 2.5×
Main battle tanks 317 110 🇪🇸 2.9×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 12 more rowsHide the 12 extra rows
Reserve troops 15,150 32,900 🇸🇪 2.2×
Paramilitary forces 87,450 21,200 🇪🇸 4.1×
Military aircraft (all types) 471 170 🇪🇸 2.8×
– helicopters 178 53 🇪🇸 3.4×
Aircraft carriers 1 0 🇪🇸
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $707 $1,428 🇸🇪 2.0×
Population 48.8M 10.6M 🇪🇸 4.6×
GDP $1.7T $604B 🇪🇸 2.9×
GDP per capita $35,327 $57,117 🇸🇪 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 ×274Juan Carlos I-class ×1
🇸🇪 SwedenJAS 39 Gripen ×96Leopard 2 ×110Götland-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 199,000 active military personnel compared to Sweden's 15,000, giving Spain a 13:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Spain or Sweden?
Spain operates 178 combat aircraft compared to Sweden's 96. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Spain or Sweden?
Sweden has a larger navy with 232 vessels compared to Spain's 87 ships. Spain operates 2 submarines while Sweden has 5.
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 317 main battle tanks compared to Sweden's 110. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.