Military Strength: Guatemala vs Nicaragua
Nicaragua (ranked #108 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Guatemala (#113) on the Global Military Index. Guatemala fields 43,000 active troops — 3.6x Nicaragua's 12,000, backed by 63,850 reserves and 25,000 paramilitary. Guatemala's $0.4B defense budget is 3.9x that of Nicaragua ($0.1B). In the air, Guatemala operates 36 aircraft including 3 combat jets, while Nicaragua fields 17 with 0 fighters. On the ground, Guatemala deploys 5 main battle tanks vs 89 for Nicaragua. Neither Guatemala nor Nicaragua possesses nuclear weapons.
| Global Military Index | 27.1 (#113) ◉ |
| 🪖 Military personnel | 43,000 ◉ |
| – Reserve troops | 63,850 ◉ |
| – Paramilitary forces | 25,000 ◉ |
| 🛩️ Military aircraft | 36 ◉ |
| – incl. combat aircraft | 3 ◉ |
| – incl. bombers | 0 ◉ |
| – incl. helicopters | 20 ◉ |
| ⚓️ Military ships | 0 ◉ |
| – incl. aircraft carriers | 0 ◉ |
| – incl. submarines | 0 ◉ |
| 🚛 Main battle tanks | 5 ◉ |
| 💥 Nuclear warheads | 0 ◉ |
| Global Military Index | 28.0 (#108) ◉ |
| 🪖 Military personnel | 12,000 ◉ |
| – Reserve troops | 0 ◉ |
| – Paramilitary forces | 0 ◉ |
| 🛩️ Military aircraft | 17 ◉ |
| – incl. combat aircraft | 0 ◉ |
| – incl. bombers | 0 ◉ |
| – incl. helicopters | 11 ◉ |
| ⚓️ Military ships | 0 ◉ |
| – incl. aircraft carriers | 0 ◉ |
| – incl. submarines | 0 ◉ |
| 🚛 Main battle tanks | 89 ◉ |
| 💥 Nuclear warheads | 0 ◉ |
🇬🇹 Guatemala Global Military Index
27.0
Global Rank: #113
| 🪖 Manpower (15%) | 68.0 | Active, reserve & paramilitary: 57475 effective |
| 🛡️ Ground Firepower (20%) | 17.3 | Main battle tanks: 5 |
| ⚓ Naval Power (20%) | 0.0 | Weighted by ship type: carriers, submarines, destroyers... |
| ✈️ Air Power (25%) | 37.4 | Weighted by aircraft type: combat, bombers, helicopters... |
| ☢️ Nuclear Deterrent (10%) | 0.0 | No declared nuclear capability |
| 💰 Defense Budget (10%) | 40.3 | $415M annual military spending |
🇳🇮 Nicaragua Global Military Index
28.0
Global Rank: #108
| 🪖 Manpower (15%) | 58.3 | Active, reserve & paramilitary: 12000 effective |
| 🛡️ Ground Firepower (20%) | 43.4 | Main battle tanks: 89 |
| ⚓ Naval Power (20%) | 0.0 | Weighted by ship type: carriers, submarines, destroyers... |
| ✈️ Air Power (25%) | 29.8 | Weighted by aircraft type: combat, bombers, helicopters... |
| ☢️ Nuclear Deterrent (10%) | 0.0 | No declared nuclear capability |
| 💰 Defense Budget (10%) | 31.2 | $105M annual military spending |
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| Population | 18.1 million ◉ |
| GDP | $104.5 billion ◉ |
| GDP per capita | $5,763 ◉ |
| Military Budget | $415.2 million ◉ |
| Share of GDP in Milex | 0.4% ◉ |
| Share of Govt Expenditures | 2.7% ◉ |
| Military spends per capita | $23 ◉ |
| Population | 6.8 million ◉ |
| GDP | $17.8 billion ◉ |
| GDP per capita | $2,613 ◉ |
| Military Budget | $105.3 million ◉ |
| Share of GDP in Milex | 0.5% ◉ |
| Share of Govt Expenditures | 1.9% ◉ |
| Military spends per capita | $15 ◉ |
Guatemala Geography
| Land Area | 107,159 km² ◉ |
| Coastline Length | 400 km ◉ |
Nicaragua Geography
| Land Area | 119,990 km² ◉ |
| Coastline Length | 910 km ◉ |
Military Forces Chart
Economic Metrics Chart
Military Budget Evolution
Military Personnel Evolution
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has more military personnel, Guatemala or Nicaragua?
Guatemala has approximately 43,000 active military personnel compared to Nicaragua's 12,000, giving Guatemala a 4:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Guatemala or Nicaragua?
Guatemala operates 3 combat aircraft compared to Nicaragua's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Which country spends more on defense, Guatemala or Nicaragua?
Guatemala has a larger defense budget at $415 million (4:1 more) compared to Nicaragua's $105 million annually.
Do Guatemala and Nicaragua have nuclear weapons?
Neither Guatemala nor Nicaragua currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Guatemala and Nicaragua compare?
Nicaragua operates 89 main battle tanks compared to Guatemala's 5. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.