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Military Strength: Flag of Gambia Gambia vs Flag of Mali Mali

Mali (ranked #109 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Gambia (#158) on the ATLAS Index. Mali fields 41,000 active troops — 10:1 Gambia's 4,000, backed by 20,000 paramilitary. Mali's $1.2B defense budget is 80:1 that of Gambia ($0.01B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Gambia GambiaWorld #158 4.3
ATLAS Index / 100

Mali leads on 4 of 6 pillars

Flag of Mali MaliWorld #109 13.3
  • 11.94,000 active troops Manpower10 % 27.841K active troops
  • 0.00 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 16.910 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 8.41 combat aircraft Air power25 % 16.812 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 6.3$14M budget Defense budget15 % 18.8$1.2B budget
Gambia Mali 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
Gambia Mali Ratio
Defense budget $14M $1.2B 🇲🇱 80×
– share of GDP 0.6% 4.3% 🇲🇱 7.2×
Active personnel 4,000 41,000 🇲🇱 10×
Combat aircraft 1 12 🇲🇱 12×
Warships 0 0 —
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 0 10 🇲🇱
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 0 —
Paramilitary forces 0 20,000 🇲🇱
Military aircraft (all types) 1 43 🇲🇱 43×
– helicopters 0 10 🇲🇱
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $5 $47 🇲🇱 9.0×
Population 2.8M 24.5M 🇲🇱 8.9×
GDP $2.4B $27B 🇲🇱 11×
GDP per capita $871 $1,095 🇲🇱 1.3×
Land area 10,000 km² 1,220,190 km² 🇲🇱 122×
Coastline 80 km 0 km 🇬🇲
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇬🇲 GambiaSu-25 Frogfoot ×1
🇲🇱 MaliMiG-21 Fishbed ×9
Defense budget history Gambia ×1.0 · Mali ×1.9 since 2020
Military personnel history
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Gambia or Mali?
Mali has approximately 41,000 active military personnel compared to Gambia's 4,000, giving Mali a 10:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Gambia or Mali?
Mali operates 12 combat aircraft compared to Gambia's 1. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Which country spends more on defense, Gambia or Mali?
Mali has a larger defense budget at $1.2 billion (80:1 more) compared to Gambia's $14 million annually.
Do Gambia and Mali have nuclear weapons?
Neither Gambia nor Mali currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Gambia and Mali compare?
Mali operates 10 main battle tanks compared to Gambia's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.