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Military Strength: Flag of Kenya Kenya vs Flag of Mali Mali

Kenya (ranked #76 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Mali (#109) on the ATLAS Index. Kenya fields 24,000 active troops vs 41,000 for Mali, backed by 20,000 paramilitary. Kenya allocates $1.3B to defense compared to $1.2B for Mali.

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Kenya KenyaWorld #76 21.1
ATLAS Index / 100

Kenya leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of Mali MaliWorld #109 13.3
  • 29.424K active troops Manpower10 % 27.841K active troops
  • 26.9188 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 16.910 battle tanks
  • 20.125 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 22.323 combat aircraft Air power25 % 16.812 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 19.5$1.3B budget Defense budget15 % 18.8$1.2B budget
Kenya Mali 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
Kenya Mali Ratio
Defense budget $1.3B $1.2B 🇰🇪 1.1×
– share of GDP 1.1% 4.3% 🇲🇱 3.9×
Active personnel 24,000 41,000 🇲🇱 1.7×
Combat aircraft 23 12 🇰🇪 1.9×
Warships 25 0 🇰🇪
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 188 10 🇰🇪 19×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 0 —
Paramilitary forces 5,000 20,000 🇲🇱 4.0×
Military aircraft (all types) 120 43 🇰🇪 2.8×
– helicopters 45 10 🇰🇪 4.5×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $23 $47 🇲🇱 2.0×
Population 56.4M 24.5M 🇰🇪 2.3×
GDP $120B $27B 🇰🇪 4.5×
GDP per capita $2,132 $1,095 🇰🇪 1.9×
Land area 569,140 km² 1,220,190 km² 🇲🇱 2.1×
Coastline 536 km 0 km 🇰🇪
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇰🇪 KenyaF-5E Tiger II ×18T-72 ×110
🇲🇱 MaliMiG-21 Fishbed ×9
Defense budget history Kenya ×1.1 · Mali ×1.9 since 2020
Military personnel history
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Air forces
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Kenya vsSudanEritreaTunisiaLibyaEthiopia
Mali vsAngolaZimbabweZambiaMauritaniaSouth Sudan
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Kenya or Mali?
Mali has approximately 41,000 active military personnel compared to Kenya's 24,000, giving Mali a 1.7:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Kenya or Mali?
Kenya operates 23 combat aircraft compared to Mali's 12. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Kenya or Mali?
Kenya has a larger navy with 25 vessels compared to Mali's 0 ships.
Which country spends more on defense, Kenya or Mali?
Kenya has a larger defense budget at $1.3 billion compared to Mali's $1.2 billion annually.
Do Kenya and Mali have nuclear weapons?
Neither Kenya nor Mali currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Kenya and Mali compare?
Kenya operates 188 main battle tanks compared to Mali's 10. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.