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Military Strength: Flag of Ireland Ireland vs Flag of North Macedonia North Macedonia

Ireland (ranked #99 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than North Macedonia (#122) on the ATLAS Index. Ireland fields 9,500 active troops vs 8,000 for North Macedonia, backed by 4,050 reserves. Ireland's $1.2B defense budget is 3.6:1 that of North Macedonia ($0.3B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Ireland IrelandWorld #99 14.7
ATLAS Index / 100

Ireland leads on 4 of 6 pillars

Flag of North Macedonia North MacedoniaWorld #122 10.9
  • 24.89,500 active troops Manpower10 % 23.98,000 active troops
  • 0.00 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 19.320 battle tanks
  • 24.224 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 17.30 combat aircraft Air power25 % 9.70 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 19.4$1.2B budget Defense budget15 % 13.9$339M budget
Ireland North Macedonia Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · each conventional pillar read after its branch's availability proxy · Methodology
Key figures
Ireland North Macedonia Ratio
Defense budget $1.2B $339M 🇮🇪 3.6×
– share of GDP 0.2% 2.0% 🇲🇰 10×
Active personnel 9,500 8,000 🇮🇪 1.2×
Combat aircraft 0 0 —
Warships 24 0 🇮🇪
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 0 20 🇲🇰
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 4,050 4,850 🇲🇰 1.2×
Paramilitary forces 0 5,000 🇲🇰
Military aircraft (all types) 26 16 🇮🇪 1.6×
– helicopters 10 10 —
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $222 $186 🇮🇪 1.2×
Population 5.5M 1.8M 🇮🇪 3.0×
GDP $722B $19B 🇮🇪 38×
GDP per capita $131,592 $10,490 🇮🇪 13×
Land area 68,883 km² 25,433 km² 🇮🇪 2.7×
Coastline 1,448 km 0 km 🇮🇪
Defense budget history Ireland ×0.8 · North Macedonia ×1.5 since 2021
Military personnel history
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Air forces
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Ireland vsSloveniaAlbaniaEstoniaBosnia and HerzegovinaSlovakia
North Macedonia vsBosnia and HerzegovinaLatviaAlbaniaMoldovaSlovenia
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Ireland or North Macedonia?
Ireland has approximately 9,500 active military personnel compared to North Macedonia's 8,000.
Who has the larger navy, Ireland or North Macedonia?
Ireland has a larger navy with 24 warships compared to North Macedonia's 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Ireland or North Macedonia?
Ireland has a larger defense budget at $1.2 billion (3.6:1 more) compared to North Macedonia's $339 million annually.
Do Ireland and North Macedonia have nuclear weapons?
Neither Ireland nor North Macedonia currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Ireland and North Macedonia compare?
North Macedonia operates 20 main battle tanks compared to Ireland's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.