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Military Strength: Flag of Italy Italy vs Flag of Malta Malta

Italy (ranked #16 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Malta (#148) on the ATLAS Index. Italy fields 338,000 active troops — 169:1 Malta's 2,000, backed by 14,500 reserves and 175,750 paramilitary. Italy's $48B defense budget is 381:1 that of Malta ($0.1B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Italy ItalyWorld #16 45.7
ATLAS Index / 100

Italy leads on 6 of 6 pillars

Flag of Malta MaltaWorld #148 6.8
  • 54.2338K active troops Manpower10 % 15.72,000 active troops
  • 42.7200 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 0.00 battle tanks
  • 53.1313 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 48.9190 combat aircraft Air power25 % 13.20 combat aircraft
  • 4.335 hosted warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 53.0$48B budget Defense budget15 % 12.7$125M budget
Italy Malta 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
Italy Malta Ratio
Defense budget $48B $125M 🇮🇹 381×
– share of GDP 2.0% 0.5% 🇮🇹 4.0×
Active personnel 338,000 2,000 🇮🇹 169×
Combat aircraft 190 0 🇮🇹
Warships 313 0 🇮🇹
– submarines 8 0 🇮🇹
Main battle tanks 200 0 🇮🇹
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 13 more rowsHide the 13 extra rows
Reserve troops 14,500 260 🇮🇹 56×
Paramilitary forces 175,750 0 🇮🇹
Military aircraft (all types) 778 7 🇮🇹 111×
– helicopters 387 3 🇮🇹 129×
Aircraft carriers 1 0 🇮🇹
Deployed warheads 35 0 🇮🇹
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $808 $220 🇮🇹 3.7×
Population 59M 568K 🇮🇹 104×
GDP $2.4T $25B 🇮🇹 95×
GDP per capita $40,385 $43,899 🇲🇹 1.1×
Land area 294,140 km² 316 km² 🇮🇹 931×
Coastline 7,600 km 252 km 🇮🇹 30×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇮🇹 ItalyTyphoon ×93Ariete 1 ×110Cavour-class ×1
Defense budget history Italy ×1.1 · Malta ×1.3 since 2021
Military personnel history
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Air forces
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Italy vsSpainFranceUkraineGreeceGermany
Malta vsLuxembourgMontenegroMoldovaLatviaNorth Macedonia
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Italy or Malta?
Italy has approximately 338,000 active military personnel compared to Malta's 2,000, giving Italy a 169:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Italy or Malta?
Italy operates 190 combat aircraft compared to Malta's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Italy or Malta?
Italy has a larger navy with 313 vessels compared to Malta's 0 ships. Italy operates 8 submarines while Malta has 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Italy or Malta?
Italy has a larger defense budget at $47.6 billion (381:1 more) compared to Malta's $125 million annually.
Do Italy and Malta have nuclear weapons?
Neither Italy nor Malta currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Italy and Malta compare?
Italy operates 200 main battle tanks compared to Malta's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.