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Military Strength: Flag of Algeria Algeria vs Flag of Libya Libya

Algeria (ranked #16 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Libya (#79) on the ARMS Index. Algeria fields 326,000 active troops — 47:1 Libya's 7,000, backed by 150,000 reserves and 187,200 paramilitary. Algeria's $22B defense budget is 14:1 that of Libya ($1.6B).

ARMS (Aggregate Rating of Military Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Algeria AlgeriaWorld #16 54.2
ARMS Index / 100

Algeria leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of Libya LibyaWorld #79 27.4
  • 74.9326K active troops Manpower15 % 55.87,000 active troops
  • 69.81,485 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 38.443 battle tanks
  • 51.0101 warships Naval power20 % 17.84 warships
  • 58.3156 combat aircraft Air power25 % 29.920 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 68.2$22B budget Defense budget10 % 36.9$1.6B budget
Algeria Libya Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×1.10 vs ×1.02 · Methodology
Key figures
Algeria Libya Ratio
Defense budget $22B $1.6B 🇩🇿 14×
– share of GDP 8.0% 5.3% 🇩🇿 1.5×
Active personnel 326,000 7,000 🇩🇿 47×
Combat aircraft 156 20 🇩🇿 7.8×
Warships 101 4 🇩🇿 25×
– submarines 6 0 🇩🇿
Main battle tanks 1,485 43 🇩🇿 35×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 150,000 0 🇩🇿
Paramilitary forces 187,200 0 🇩🇿
Military aircraft (all types) 612 80 🇩🇿 7.7×
– helicopters 315 17 🇩🇿 19×
Budget share of govt spending — 5.5% 🇱🇾
Budget per capita $460 $217 🇩🇿 2.1×
Population 46.8M 7.4M 🇩🇿 6.3×
GDP $269B $48B 🇩🇿 5.6×
GDP per capita $5,753 $6,569 🇱🇾 1.1×
Land area 2,381,741 km² 1,759,540 km² 🇩🇿 1.4×
Coastline 998 km 1,770 km 🇱🇾 1.8×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇩🇿 AlgeriaSu-30 Flanker-C ×63T-90 ×600Improved Kilo-class ×4
🇱🇾 LibyaMiG-21 Fishbed ×11Project 1159-class ×1
Defense budget history
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Algeria or Libya?
Algeria has approximately 326,000 active military personnel compared to Libya's 7,000, giving Algeria a 47:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Algeria or Libya?
Algeria operates 156 combat aircraft compared to Libya's 20. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Algeria or Libya?
Algeria has a larger navy with 101 vessels compared to Libya's 4 ships. Algeria operates 6 submarines while Libya has 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Algeria or Libya?
Algeria has a larger defense budget at $21.5 billion (14:1 more) compared to Libya's $1.6 billion annually.
Do Algeria and Libya have nuclear weapons?
Neither Algeria nor Libya currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Algeria and Libya compare?
Algeria operates 1,485 main battle tanks compared to Libya's 43. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.