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

Iraq (ranked #36 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Qatar (#45) on the ATLAS Index. Iraq fields 193,000 active troops — 12:1 Qatar's 16,500, backed by 266,000 paramilitary. Iraq allocates $7B to defense compared to $11B for Qatar.

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Iraq IraqWorld #36 33.8
ATLAS Index / 100

Iraq leads overall, ahead on 2 of 6 pillars

Flag of Qatar QatarWorld #45 31.7
  • 53.6193K active troops Manpower10 % 28.616K active troops
  • 53.91,188 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 34.762 battle tanks
  • 19.859 warships Naval power20 % 31.3117 warships
  • 32.953 combat aircraft Air power25 % 39.5126 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 34.2$7B budget Defense budget15 % 35.9$11B budget
Iraq Qatar 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
Iraq Qatar Ratio
Defense budget $7B $11B 🇶🇦 1.6×
– share of GDP 2.5% 5.0% 🇶🇦 2.0×
Active personnel 193,000 16,500 🇮🇶 12×
Combat aircraft 53 126 🇶🇦 2.4×
Warships 59 117 🇶🇦 2.0×
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 1,188 62 🇮🇶 19×
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) 393 283 🇮🇶 1.4×
– helicopters 205 86 🇮🇶 2.4×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $149 $3,667 🇶🇦 25×
Population 47M 3M 🇮🇶 16×
GDP $254B $216B 🇮🇶 1.2×
GDP per capita $5,410 $72,525 🇶🇦 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 ×48Leopard 2 ×62
Defense budget history
Military personnel history
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Iraq vsIranBangladeshMalaysiaMyanmarPhilippines
Qatar vsMalaysiaPhilippinesBangladeshAzerbaijanMyanmar
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Iraq or Qatar?
Iraq has approximately 193,000 active military personnel compared to Qatar's 16,500, giving Iraq a 12:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Iraq or Qatar?
Qatar operates 126 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 117 warships compared to Iraq's 59.
Which country spends more on defense, Iraq or Qatar?
Qatar has a larger defense budget at $10.9 billion (1.6:1 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 1,188 main battle tanks compared to Qatar's 62. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.