Military Strength: Iran vs Iraq
Overview
Iran (ranked #26 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Iraq (#44) on the Global Military Index. Iran fields 650,000 active troops vs 459,000 for Iraq, backed by 350,000 reserves and 40,000 paramilitary. Iran allocates $10B to defense compared to $7B for Iraq.
In the air, Iran operates 636 aircraft including 295 combat jets, while Iraq fields 396 with 53 fighters.
At sea, Iran's 97-ship navy outnumbers Iraq's 62 vessels, including 6 and 0 submarines respectively. On the ground, Iran deploys 1,713 main battle tanks vs 1,025 for Iraq.
Neither Iran nor Iraq possesses nuclear weapons.
🇮🇷 Iran Global Military Index
| 🪖 Manpower (15%) | 85.9 | Active, reserve & paramilitary: 797000 effective |
| 🛡️ Ground Forces (20%) | 72.4 | Tanks, armor & artillery, weighted by type — 1713 main battle tanks |
| ⚓ Naval Power (20%) | 50.7 | Weighted by ship type: carrier tiers, nuclear vs conventional submarines... |
| ✈️ Air Power (25%) | 59.1 | Weighted by aircraft type and fleet age: combat, bombers, drones... |
| ☢️ Nuclear Deterrent (10%) | 6.5 | No declared nuclear capability |
| 💰 Defense Budget (10%) | 60.9 | $9.5B annual military spending, purchasing-power adjusted |
| 🎯 Readiness (modifier) | ×0.94 | Budget per soldier — proxy for training, maintenance & technology |
🇮🇶 Iraq Global Military Index
| 🪖 Manpower (15%) | 75.3 | Active, reserve & paramilitary: 272800 effective |
| 🛡️ Ground Forces (20%) | 70.1 | Tanks, armor & artillery, weighted by type — 1025 main battle tanks |
| ⚓ Naval Power (20%) | 26.6 | Weighted by ship type: carrier tiers, nuclear vs conventional submarines... |
| ✈️ Air Power (25%) | 48.5 | Weighted by aircraft type and fleet age: combat, bombers, drones... |
| ☢️ Nuclear Deterrent (10%) | 0.0 | No declared nuclear capability |
| 💰 Defense Budget (10%) | 49.5 | $7.0B annual military spending, purchasing-power adjusted |
| 🎯 Readiness (modifier) | ×1.00 | Budget per soldier — proxy for training, maintenance & technology |
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Iran Geography
Iraq Geography
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See where Iran and Iraq stand among the strongest militaries in the world (2026 ranking).