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Military Strength: Flag of Iraq Iraq vs Flag of Qatar Qatar

Qatar (ranked #31 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Iraq (#45) on the ARMS Index. Iraq fields 459,000 active troops — 21:1 Qatar's 22,000, backed by 266,000 paramilitary. Qatar's $15B defense budget is 2.2:1 that of Iraq ($7B).

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Flag of Iraq IraqWorld #45 41.8
ARMS Index / 100

Qatar leads on 3 of 6 pillars

Flag of Qatar QatarWorld #31 46.1
  • 75.3459K active troops Manpower15 % 50.922K active troops
  • 70.11,025 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 47.099 battle tanks
  • 26.462 warships Naval power20 % 40.5126 warships
  • 49.153 combat aircraft Air power25 % 55.8124 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 49.5$7B budget Defense budget10 % 56.8$15B budget
Iraq Qatar Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×1.00 vs ×1.20 · Methodology
Key figures
Iraq Qatar Ratio
Defense budget $7B $15B 🇶🇦 2.2×
– share of GDP 2.5% 6.5% 🇶🇦 2.6×
Active personnel 459,000 22,000 🇮🇶 21×
Combat aircraft 53 124 🇶🇦 2.3×
Warships 62 126 🇶🇦 2.0×
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 1,025 99 🇮🇶 10×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 0 —
Paramilitary forces 266,000 5,000 🇮🇶 53×
Military aircraft (all types) 396 281 🇮🇶 1.4×
– helicopters 213 86 🇮🇶 2.5×
Budget share of govt spending — 26.9% 🇶🇦
Budget per capita $152 $5,429 🇶🇦 36×
Population 46M 2.9M 🇮🇶 16×
GDP $280B $219B 🇮🇶 1.3×
GDP per capita $6,074 $76,689 🇶🇦 13×
Land area 437,367 km² 11,586 km² 🇮🇶 38×
Coastline 58 km 563 km 🇶🇦 9.7×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇮🇶 IraqF-16 Fighting Falcon ×34M1 Abrams ×487
🇶🇦 QatarF-15EX Eagle II ×46Leopard 2 ×62
Defense budget history
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Iraq or Qatar?
Iraq has approximately 459,000 active military personnel compared to Qatar's 22,000, giving Iraq a 21:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Iraq or Qatar?
Qatar operates 124 combat aircraft compared to Iraq's 53. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Iraq or Qatar?
Qatar has a larger navy with 126 vessels compared to Iraq's 62 ships.
Which country spends more on defense, Iraq or Qatar?
Qatar has a larger defense budget at $15.4 billion (2.2:1 more) compared to Iraq's $7 billion annually.
Do Iraq and Qatar have nuclear weapons?
Neither Iraq nor Qatar currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Iraq and Qatar compare?
Iraq operates 1,025 main battle tanks compared to Qatar's 99. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.