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Military Strength: Flag of Ethiopia Ethiopia vs Flag of Mauritania Mauritania

Ethiopia (ranked #76 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Mauritania (#117) on the ARMS Index. Ethiopia fields 138,000 active troops — 6.6:1 Mauritania's 21,000. Ethiopia's $1B defense budget is 4.0:1 that of Mauritania ($0.3B).

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Flag of Ethiopia EthiopiaWorld #76 28.3
ARMS Index / 100

Ethiopia leads on 4 of 6 pillars

Flag of Mauritania MauritaniaWorld #117 17.0
  • 81.3138K active troops Manpower15 % 50.621K active troops
  • 67.1338 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 33.825 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 37.434 combat aircraft Air power25 % 15.00 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 42.0$1B budget Defense budget10 % 23.6$262M budget
Ethiopia Mauritania Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×0.80 vs ×0.94 · Methodology
Key figures
Ethiopia Mauritania Ratio
Defense budget $1B $262M 🇪🇹 4.0×
– share of GDP 0.7% 2.4% 🇲🇷 3.4×
Active personnel 138,000 21,000 🇪🇹 6.6×
Combat aircraft 34 0 🇪🇹
Warships 0 0 —
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 338 25 🇪🇹 14×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 0 —
Paramilitary forces 0 5,000 🇲🇷
Military aircraft (all types) 99 23 🇪🇹 4.3×
– helicopters 31 4 🇪🇹 7.8×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $8 $51 🇲🇷 6.4×
Population 132.1M 5.2M 🇪🇹 26×
GDP $150B $11B 🇪🇹 14×
GDP per capita $1,134 $2,110 🇲🇷 1.9×
Land area 1,096,630 km² 1,025,520 km² 🇪🇹 1.1×
Coastline 0 km 754 km 🇲🇷
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇪🇹 EthiopiaSu-27 Flanker ×20T-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×1,190
Defense budget history Ethiopia ×1.9 · Mauritania ×1.3 since 2020
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Ethiopia or Mauritania?
Ethiopia has approximately 138,000 active military personnel compared to Mauritania's 21,000, giving Ethiopia a 6.6:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Ethiopia or Mauritania?
Ethiopia operates 34 combat aircraft compared to Mauritania's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Which country spends more on defense, Ethiopia or Mauritania?
Ethiopia has a larger defense budget at $1 billion (4.0:1 more) compared to Mauritania's $262 million annually.
Do Ethiopia and Mauritania have nuclear weapons?
Neither Ethiopia nor Mauritania currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Ethiopia and Mauritania compare?
Ethiopia operates 338 main battle tanks compared to Mauritania's 25. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.