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Military Strength: Flag of Denmark Denmark vs Flag of Ireland Ireland

Denmark (ranked #42 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Ireland (#112) on the ARMS Index. Denmark fields 15,000 active troops vs 9,000 for Ireland, backed by 44,000 reserves. Denmark's $14B defense budget is 11:1 that of Ireland ($1.2B).

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Flag of Denmark DenmarkWorld #42 42.8
ARMS Index / 100

Denmark leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of Ireland IrelandWorld #112 18.0
  • 56.915K active troops Manpower15 % 47.39,000 active troops
  • 42.544 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 0.00 battle tanks
  • 39.5109 warships Naval power20 % 17.132 warships
  • 44.757 combat aircraft Air power25 % 21.00 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 55.6$14B budget Defense budget10 % 34.9$1.2B budget
Denmark Ireland Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×1.20 vs ×1.08 · Methodology
Key figures
Denmark Ireland Ratio
Defense budget $14B $1.2B 🇩🇰 11×
– share of GDP 3.2% 0.2% 🇩🇰 16×
Active personnel 15,000 9,000 🇩🇰 1.7×
Combat aircraft 57 0 🇩🇰
Warships 109 32 🇩🇰 3.4×
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 44 0 🇩🇰
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 44,000 4,050 🇩🇰 11×
Paramilitary forces 0 0 —
Military aircraft (all types) 123 27 🇩🇰 4.6×
– helicopters 34 10 🇩🇰 3.4×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $2,273 $226 🇩🇰 10×
Population 6M 5.4M 🇩🇰 1.1×
GDP $425B $609B 🇮🇪 1.4×
GDP per capita $71,026 $112,895 🇮🇪 1.6×
Land area 2,220,072 km² 68,883 km² 🇩🇰 32×
Coastline 21 km 1,448 km 🇮🇪 69×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇩🇰 DenmarkF-16 Fighting Falcon ×36Leopard 2 ×44Thetis-class ×4
Defense budget history Denmark ×1.8 · Ireland ×0.8 since 2021
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Denmark or Ireland?
Denmark has approximately 15,000 active military personnel compared to Ireland's 9,000, giving Denmark a 1.7:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Denmark or Ireland?
Denmark operates 57 combat aircraft compared to Ireland's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Denmark or Ireland?
Denmark has a larger navy with 109 vessels compared to Ireland's 32 ships.
Which country spends more on defense, Denmark or Ireland?
Denmark has a larger defense budget at $13.6 billion (11:1 more) compared to Ireland's $1.2 billion annually.
Do Denmark and Ireland have nuclear weapons?
Neither Denmark nor Ireland currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Denmark and Ireland compare?
Denmark operates 44 main battle tanks compared to Ireland's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.