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Military Strength: Flag of Guatemala Guatemala vs Flag of Panama Panama

Guatemala (ranked #109 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Panama (#131) on the ARMS Index. Guatemala fields 43,000 active troops vs 28,000 for Panama, backed by 63,850 reserves and 25,000 paramilitary. Panama's $1.0B defense budget is 2.1:1 that of Guatemala ($0.5B).

ARMS (Aggregate Rating of Military Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Guatemala GuatemalaWorld #109 18.6
ARMS Index / 100

Guatemala leads overall, ahead on 2 of 6 pillars

Flag of Panama PanamaWorld #131 13.7
  • 60.943K active troops Manpower15 % 44.128K active troops
  • 21.65 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 0.00 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 22.43 combat aircraft Air power25 % 22.80 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 27.4$453M budget Defense budget10 % 32.9$952M budget
Guatemala Panama Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×0.97 vs ×1.00 · Methodology
Key figures
Guatemala Panama Ratio
Defense budget $453M $952M 🇵🇦 2.1×
– share of GDP 0.4% 1.1% 🇵🇦 2.8×
Active personnel 43,000 28,000 🇬🇹 1.5×
Combat aircraft 3 0 🇬🇹
Warships 0 0 —
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 5 0 🇬🇹
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 63,850 0 🇬🇹
Paramilitary forces 25,000 26,000 🇵🇦 ≈
Military aircraft (all types) 37 40 🇵🇦 1.1×
– helicopters 20 25 🇵🇦 1.2×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $25 $211 🇵🇦 8.6×
Population 18.4M 4.5M 🇬🇹 4.1×
GDP $113B $87B 🇬🇹 1.3×
GDP per capita $6,150 $19,161 🇵🇦 3.1×
Land area 107,159 km² 74,340 km² 🇬🇹 1.4×
Coastline 400 km 2,490 km 🇵🇦 6.2×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇬🇹 GuatemalaA-37 Dragonfly ×3
Defense budget history Guatemala ×1.5 · Panama ×1.2 since 2020
Military personnel history

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Panama vsParaguayJamaicaNicaraguaTrinidad and TobagoHonduras
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Guatemala or Panama?
Guatemala has approximately 43,000 active military personnel compared to Panama's 28,000, giving Guatemala a 1.5:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Guatemala or Panama?
Guatemala operates 3 combat aircraft compared to Panama's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Which country spends more on defense, Guatemala or Panama?
Panama has a larger defense budget at $952 million (2.1:1 more) compared to Guatemala's $453 million annually.
Do Guatemala and Panama have nuclear weapons?
Neither Guatemala nor Panama currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Guatemala and Panama compare?
Guatemala operates 5 main battle tanks compared to Panama's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.