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Military Strength: Flag of Iran Iran vs Flag of Yemen Yemen

Iran (ranked #25 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Yemen (#86) on the ATLAS Index. Iran fields 650,000 active troops — 32:1 Yemen's 20,000, backed by 350,000 reserves and 40,000 paramilitary. Iran's $9.5B defense budget is 5.5:1 that of Yemen ($1.7B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Iran IranWorld #25 40.1
ATLAS Index / 100

Iran leads on 6 of 6 pillars

Flag of Yemen YemenWorld #86 17.5
  • 71.1650K active troops Manpower10 % 33.420K active troops
  • 52.71,713 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 0.00 battle tanks
  • 27.0112 warships Naval power20 % 23.529 warships
  • 38.0295 combat aircraft Air power25 % 24.775 combat aircraft
  • 10.40 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 40.1$9.5B budget Defense budget15 % 20.8$1.7B budget
Iran Yemen 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 Yemen Ratio
Defense budget $9.5B $1.7B 🇮🇷 5.5×
– share of GDP 2.0% 4.0% 🇾🇪 2.0×
Active personnel 650,000 20,000 🇮🇷 32×
Combat aircraft 295 75 🇮🇷 3.9×
Warships 112 29 🇮🇷 3.9×
– submarines 2 0 🇮🇷
Main battle tanks 1,713 0 🇮🇷
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) 659 156 🇮🇷 4.2×
– helicopters 160 40 🇮🇷 4.0×
Budget share of govt spending — 14.3% 🇾🇪
Budget per capita $104 $58 🇮🇷 1.8×
Population 91.6M 40.6M 🇮🇷 2.3×
GDP $475B $22B 🇮🇷 22×
GDP per capita $5,190 $532 🇮🇷 9.7×
Land area 1,531,595 km² 527,968 km² 🇮🇷 2.9×
Coastline 2,440 km 1,906 km 🇮🇷 1.3×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇮🇷 IranF-4 Phantom II ×63Safir 74 ×540Kilo-class ×2
🇾🇪 YemenMiG-29 Fulcrum ×23
Defense budget history
Military personnel history
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Yemen vsSaudi ArabiaSyriaMongoliaArmeniaGeorgia
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Iran or Yemen?
Iran has approximately 650,000 active military personnel compared to Yemen's 20,000, giving Iran a 32:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Iran or Yemen?
Iran operates 295 combat aircraft compared to Yemen's 75. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Iran or Yemen?
Iran has a larger navy with 112 vessels compared to Yemen's 29 ships. Iran operates 2 submarines while Yemen has 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Iran or Yemen?
Iran has a larger defense budget at $9.5 billion (5.5:1 more) compared to Yemen's $1.7 billion annually.
Do Iran and Yemen have nuclear weapons?
Neither Iran nor Yemen currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Iran and Yemen compare?
Iran operates 1,713 main battle tanks compared to Yemen's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.