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Military Strength: Flag of Indonesia Indonesia vs Flag of Thailand Thailand

Indonesia (ranked #29 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Thailand (#38) on the ARMS Index. Indonesia fields 676,000 active troops vs 455,000 for Thailand, backed by 400,000 reserves and 290,200 paramilitary. Indonesia allocates $11B to defense compared to $5.8B for Thailand.

ARMS (Aggregate Rating of Military Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Indonesia IndonesiaWorld #29 47.2
ARMS Index / 100

Indonesia leads on 3 of 6 pillars

Flag of Thailand ThailandWorld #38 44.2
  • 84.5676K active troops Manpower15 % 81.3455K active troops
  • 51.8331 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 58.9445 battle tanks
  • 64.4345 warships Naval power20 % 53.6307 warships
  • 51.165 combat aircraft Air power25 % 52.284 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 62.5$11B budget Defense budget10 % 55.0$5.8B budget
Indonesia Thailand Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×0.98 vs ×0.94 · Methodology
Key figures
Indonesia Thailand Ratio
Defense budget $11B $5.8B 🇮🇩 1.9×
– share of GDP 0.8% 1.1% 🇹🇭 1.4×
Active personnel 676,000 455,000 🇮🇩 1.5×
Combat aircraft 65 84 🇹🇭 1.3×
Warships 345 307 🇮🇩 1.1×
– submarines 4 0 🇮🇩
Main battle tanks 331 445 🇹🇭 1.3×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 12 more rowsHide the 12 extra rows
Reserve troops 400,000 200,000 🇮🇩 2.0×
Paramilitary forces 290,200 138,700 🇮🇩 2.1×
Military aircraft (all types) 467 481 🇹🇭 ≈
– helicopters 220 247 🇹🇭 1.1×
Aircraft carriers 0 1 🇹🇭
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $39 $81 🇹🇭 2.1×
Population 283.5M 71.7M 🇮🇩 4.0×
GDP $1.4T $527B 🇮🇩 2.7×
GDP per capita $4,925 $7,347 🇹🇭 1.5×
Land area 1,811,569 km² 510,890 km² 🇮🇩 3.5×
Coastline 54,716 km 3,219 km 🇮🇩 17×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇮🇩 IndonesiaF-16 Fighting Falcon ×33Leopard 2 ×103Nagapasa-class ×3
🇹🇭 ThailandF-16 Fighting Falcon ×46M60A3 TTS Patton ×125Chakri Narubet-class ×1
Defense budget history Indonesia ×1.3 · Thailand ×0.8 since 2020
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Indonesia or Thailand?
Indonesia has approximately 676,000 active military personnel compared to Thailand's 455,000.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Indonesia or Thailand?
Thailand operates 84 combat aircraft compared to Indonesia's 65. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Indonesia or Thailand?
Indonesia has a larger navy with 345 vessels compared to Thailand's 307 ships. Indonesia operates 4 submarines while Thailand has 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Indonesia or Thailand?
Indonesia has a larger defense budget at $11.2 billion (1.9:1 more) compared to Thailand's $5.8 billion annually.
Do Indonesia and Thailand have nuclear weapons?
Neither Indonesia nor Thailand currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Indonesia and Thailand compare?
Thailand operates 445 main battle tanks compared to Indonesia's 331. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.