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

Ethiopia (ranked #71 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than South Sudan (#103) on the ATLAS Index. Ethiopia fields 503,000 active troops — 2.7:1 South Sudan's 185,000. Ethiopia's $1B defense budget is 4.4:1 that of South Sudan ($0.2B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Ethiopia EthiopiaWorld #71 22.5
ATLAS Index / 100

Ethiopia leads on 4 of 6 pillars

Flag of South Sudan South SudanWorld #103 14.4
  • 61.0503K active troops Manpower10 % 46.6185K active troops
  • 33.0410 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 21.030 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 24.034 combat aircraft Air power25 % 13.70 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 23.8$1B budget Defense budget15 % 12.7$240M budget
Ethiopia 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
Ethiopia South Sudan Ratio
Defense budget $1B $240M 🇪🇹 4.4×
– share of GDP 0.7% 2.0% 🇸🇸 2.9×
Active personnel 503,000 185,000 🇪🇹 2.7×
Combat aircraft 34 0 🇪🇹
Warships 0 0 —
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 410 30 🇪🇹 14×
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) 117 20 🇪🇹 5.8×
– helicopters 31 15 🇪🇹 2.1×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $8 $20 🇸🇸 2.5×
Population 135.5M 12.2M 🇪🇹 11×
GDP $126B $12B 🇪🇹 11×
GDP per capita $933 $984 🇸🇸 1.1×
Land area 1,096,630 km² 644,329 km² 🇪🇹 1.7×
Coastline 0 km 0 km —
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇪🇹 EthiopiaSu-27 Flanker ×22T-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×240
Defense budget history Ethiopia ×1.9 · South Sudan ×1.3 since 2020
Military personnel history
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South Sudan vsChadZambiaTanzaniaMaliUganda
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Ethiopia or South Sudan?
Ethiopia has approximately 503,000 active military personnel compared to South Sudan's 185,000, giving Ethiopia a 2.7:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Ethiopia or South Sudan?
Ethiopia operates 34 combat aircraft compared to South Sudan's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Which country spends more on defense, Ethiopia or South Sudan?
Ethiopia has a larger defense budget at $1 billion (4.4:1 more) compared to South Sudan's $240 million annually.
Do Ethiopia and South Sudan have nuclear weapons?
Neither Ethiopia nor South Sudan currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Ethiopia and South Sudan compare?
Ethiopia operates 410 main battle tanks compared to South Sudan's 30. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.