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Military Strength: Flag of Iran Iran vs Flag of Syria Syria

Iran (ranked #26 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Syria (#97) on the ATLAS Index. Iran fields 610,000 active troops — 3.6:1 Syria's 169,000, backed by 350,000 reserves and 40,000 paramilitary. Iran's $9.5B defense budget is 3.8:1 that of Syria ($2.5B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Iran IranWorld #26 40.0
ATLAS Index / 100

Iran leads on 6 of 6 pillars

Flag of Syria SyriaWorld #97 15.1
  • 71.2610K active troops Manpower10 % 47.3169K active troops
  • 53.61,513 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 20.4365 battle tanks
  • 27.177 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 37.0255 combat aircraft Air power25 % 10.92 combat aircraft
  • 10.40 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 40.1$9.5B budget Defense budget15 % 22.8$2.5B budget
Iran Syria 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
Iran Syria Ratio
Defense budget $9.5B $2.5B 🇮🇷 3.8×
– share of GDP 2.0% 4.1% 🇸🇾 2.0×
Active personnel 610,000 169,000 🇮🇷 3.6×
Combat aircraft 255 2 🇮🇷 128×
Warships 77 0 🇮🇷
– submarines 2 0 🇮🇷
Main battle tanks 1,513 365 🇮🇷 4.1×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 350,000 0 🇮🇷
Paramilitary forces 40,000 0 🇮🇷
Military aircraft (all types) 666 11 🇮🇷 61×
– helicopters 168 6 🇮🇷 28×
Budget share of govt spending — 13.6% 🇸🇾
Budget per capita $103 $110 🇸🇾 1.1×
Population 92.4M 25.6M 🇮🇷 3.6×
GDP $363B $24B 🇮🇷 15×
GDP per capita $3,924 $927 🇮🇷 4.2×
Land area 1,531,595 km² 183,630 km² 🇮🇷 8.3×
Coastline 2,440 km 193 km 🇮🇷 13×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇮🇷 IranF-4 Phantom II ×61Safir 74 ×540Kilo-class ×2
🇸🇾 SyriaSu-17 Fitter ×2
Defense budget history
Military personnel history
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Syria vsMongoliaAfghanistanGeorgiaLaosYemen
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Iran or Syria?
Iran has approximately 610,000 active military personnel compared to Syria's 169,000, giving Iran a 3.6:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Iran or Syria?
Iran operates 255 combat aircraft compared to Syria's 2. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Iran or Syria?
Iran has a larger navy with 77 warships compared to Syria's 0. Iran operates 2 submarines while Syria has 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Iran or Syria?
Iran has a larger defense budget at $9.5 billion (3.8:1 more) compared to Syria's $2.5 billion annually.
Do Iran and Syria have nuclear weapons?
Neither Iran nor Syria currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Iran and Syria compare?
Iran operates 1,513 main battle tanks compared to Syria's 365. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.