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Military Strength: Flag of Belgium Belgium vs Flag of Ireland Ireland

Belgium (ranked #51 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Ireland (#112) on the ARMS Index. Belgium fields 24,000 active troops — 2.7:1 Ireland's 9,000, backed by 5,900 reserves. Belgium's $13B defense budget is 11:1 that of Ireland ($1.2B).

ARMS (Aggregate Rating of Military Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Belgium BelgiumWorld #51 37.9
ARMS Index / 100

Belgium leads on 6 of 6 pillars

Flag of Ireland IrelandWorld #112 18.0
  • 55.024K active troops Manpower15 % 47.39,000 active troops
  • 43.00 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 0.00 battle tanks
  • 20.19 warships Naval power20 % 17.132 warships
  • 43.764 combat aircraft Air power25 % 21.00 combat aircraft
  • 2.415 hosted warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 55.5$13B budget Defense budget10 % 34.9$1.2B budget
Belgium Ireland Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×1.18 vs ×1.08 · Methodology
Key figures
Belgium Ireland Ratio
Defense budget $13B $1.2B 🇧🇪 11×
– share of GDP 2.0% 0.2% 🇧🇪 10×
Active personnel 24,000 9,000 🇧🇪 2.7×
Combat aircraft 64 0 🇧🇪
Warships 9 32 🇮🇪 3.6×
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 0 0 —
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 12 more rowsHide the 12 extra rows
Reserve troops 5,900 4,050 🇧🇪 1.5×
Paramilitary forces 0 0 —
Military aircraft (all types) 104 27 🇧🇪 3.9×
– helicopters 14 10 🇧🇪 1.4×
Deployed warheads 15 0 🇧🇪
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $1,132 $226 🇧🇪 5.0×
Population 11.9M 5.4M 🇧🇪 2.2×
GDP $671B $609B 🇧🇪 1.1×
GDP per capita $56,615 $112,895 🇮🇪 2.0×
Land area 30,278 km² 68,883 km² 🇮🇪 2.3×
Coastline 66 km 1,448 km 🇮🇪 22×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇧🇪 BelgiumF-16 Fighting Falcon ×52Karel Doorman-class ×2
Defense budget history Belgium ×1.3 · Ireland ×0.8 since 2021
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Belgium or Ireland?
Belgium has approximately 24,000 active military personnel compared to Ireland's 9,000, giving Belgium a 2.7:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Belgium or Ireland?
Belgium operates 64 combat aircraft compared to Ireland's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Belgium or Ireland?
Ireland has a larger navy with 32 vessels compared to Belgium's 9 ships.
Which country spends more on defense, Belgium or Ireland?
Belgium has a larger defense budget at $13.4 billion (11:1 more) compared to Ireland's $1.2 billion annually.
Do Belgium and Ireland have nuclear weapons?
Neither Belgium nor Ireland currently possesses nuclear weapons.