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Military Strength: Flag of Ethiopia Ethiopia vs Flag of Uganda Uganda

Ethiopia (ranked #76 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Uganda (#85) on the ARMS Index. Ethiopia fields 138,000 active troops — 3.0:1 Uganda's 46,000. Ethiopia allocates $1B to defense compared to $1.3B for Uganda.

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Flag of Ethiopia EthiopiaWorld #76 28.3
ARMS Index / 100

Ethiopia leads on 4 of 6 pillars

Flag of Uganda UgandaWorld #85 25.2
  • 81.3138K active troops Manpower15 % 59.746K active troops
  • 67.1338 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 48.0240 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 37.534 combat aircraft Air power25 % 28.56 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 42.0$1B budget Defense budget10 % 35.3$1.3B budget
Ethiopia Uganda Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×0.80 vs ×0.98 · Methodology
Key figures
Ethiopia Uganda Ratio
Defense budget $1B $1.3B 🇺🇬 1.2×
– share of GDP 0.7% 2.0% 🇺🇬 2.8×
Active personnel 138,000 46,000 🇪🇹 3.0×
Combat aircraft 34 6 🇪🇹 5.7×
Warships 0 0 —
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 338 240 🇪🇹 1.4×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 10,000 🇺🇬
Paramilitary forces 0 1,400 🇺🇬
Military aircraft (all types) 99 51 🇪🇹 1.9×
– helicopters 31 30 🇪🇹 ≈
Budget share of govt spending — 9.0% 🇺🇬
Budget per capita $8 $26 🇺🇬 3.2×
Population 132.1M 50M 🇪🇹 2.6×
GDP $150B $54B 🇪🇹 2.8×
GDP per capita $1,134 $1,078 🇪🇹 1.1×
Land area 1,096,630 km² 197,100 km² 🇪🇹 5.6×
Coastline 0 km 0 km —
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇪🇹 EthiopiaSu-27 Flanker ×20T-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×1,190
🇺🇬 UgandaSu-30 Flanker-C ×6T-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×140
Defense budget history Ethiopia ×1.9 · Uganda ×1.1 since 2020
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Ethiopia or Uganda?
Ethiopia has approximately 138,000 active military personnel compared to Uganda's 46,000, giving Ethiopia a 3.0:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Ethiopia or Uganda?
Ethiopia operates 34 combat aircraft compared to Uganda's 6. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Which country spends more on defense, Ethiopia or Uganda?
Uganda has a larger defense budget at $1.3 billion compared to Ethiopia's $1 billion annually.
Do Ethiopia and Uganda have nuclear weapons?
Neither Ethiopia nor Uganda currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Ethiopia and Uganda compare?
Ethiopia operates 338 main battle tanks compared to Uganda's 240. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.