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Military Strength: Flag of Iran Iran vs Flag of Thailand Thailand

Iran (ranked #30 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Thailand (#38) on the ARMS Index. Iran fields 650,000 active troops vs 455,000 for Thailand, backed by 350,000 reserves and 40,000 paramilitary. Iran allocates $9.5B to defense compared to $5.8B for Thailand.

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Flag of Iran IranWorld #30 47.2
ARMS Index / 100

Iran leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of Thailand ThailandWorld #38 44.2
  • 85.9650K active troops Manpower15 % 81.3455K active troops
  • 72.41,713 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 58.9445 battle tanks
  • 40.6112 warships Naval power20 % 53.6307 warships
  • 58.4295 combat aircraft Air power25 % 52.284 combat aircraft
  • 6.50 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 60.9$9.5B budget Defense budget10 % 55.0$5.8B budget
Iran Thailand Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×0.94 vs ×0.94 · Methodology
Key figures
Iran Thailand Ratio
Defense budget $9.5B $5.8B 🇮🇷 1.6×
– share of GDP 2.0% 1.1% 🇮🇷 1.8×
Active personnel 650,000 455,000 🇮🇷 1.4×
Combat aircraft 295 84 🇮🇷 3.5×
Warships 112 307 🇹🇭 2.7×
– submarines 2 0 🇮🇷
Main battle tanks 1,713 445 🇮🇷 3.8×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 12 more rowsHide the 12 extra rows
Reserve troops 350,000 200,000 🇮🇷 1.8×
Paramilitary forces 40,000 138,700 🇹🇭 3.5×
Military aircraft (all types) 636 481 🇮🇷 1.3×
– helicopters 160 247 🇹🇭 1.5×
Aircraft carriers 0 1 🇹🇭
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $104 $81 🇮🇷 1.3×
Population 91.6M 71.7M 🇮🇷 1.3×
GDP $475B $527B 🇹🇭 1.1×
GDP per capita $5,190 $7,347 🇹🇭 1.4×
Land area 1,531,595 km² 510,890 km² 🇮🇷 3.0×
Coastline 2,440 km 3,219 km 🇹🇭 1.3×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇮🇷 IranF-4 Phantom II ×63Safir 74 ×540Kilo-class ×2
🇹🇭 ThailandF-16 Fighting Falcon ×46M60A3 TTS Patton ×125Chakri Narubet-class ×1
Defense budget history Iran ×1.7 · Thailand ×0.8 since 2020
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Iran or Thailand?
Iran has approximately 650,000 active military personnel compared to Thailand's 455,000.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Iran or Thailand?
Iran operates 295 combat aircraft compared to Thailand's 84. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Iran or Thailand?
Thailand has a larger navy with 307 vessels compared to Iran's 112 ships. Iran operates 2 submarines while Thailand has 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Iran or Thailand?
Iran has a larger defense budget at $9.5 billion (1.6:1 more) compared to Thailand's $5.8 billion annually.
Do Iran and Thailand have nuclear weapons?
Neither Iran nor Thailand currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Iran and Thailand compare?
Iran operates 1,713 main battle tanks compared to Thailand's 445. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.