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Military Strength: Flag of Libya Libya vs Flag of Sudan Sudan

Sudan (ranked #73 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Libya (#85) on the ATLAS Index. Sudan fields 104,300 active troops — 3.3:1 Libya's 32,000, backed by 60,000 paramilitary. Libya's $1.6B defense budget is 4.2:1 that of Sudan ($0.4B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Libya LibyaWorld #85 19.4
ATLAS Index / 100

Sudan leads on 3 of 6 pillars

Flag of Sudan SudanWorld #73 21.7
  • 31.432K active troops Manpower10 % 42.0104K active troops
  • 24.043 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 45.1940 battle tanks
  • 17.34 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 18.920 combat aircraft Air power25 % 24.399 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 20.3$1.6B budget Defense budget15 % 14.2$375M budget
Libya Sudan 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
Libya Sudan Ratio
Defense budget $1.6B $375M 🇱🇾 4.2×
– share of GDP 5.3% 0.9% 🇱🇾 5.7×
Active personnel 32,000 104,300 🇸🇩 3.3×
Combat aircraft 20 99 🇸🇩 5.0×
Warships 4 0 🇱🇾
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 43 940 🇸🇩 22×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 0 —
Paramilitary forces 0 60,000 🇸🇩
Military aircraft (all types) 74 192 🇸🇩 2.6×
– helicopters 17 70 🇸🇩 4.1×
Budget share of govt spending 5.5% 9.5% 🇸🇩 1.7×
Budget per capita $217 $8 🇱🇾 27×
Population 7.5M 51.7M 🇸🇩 6.9×
GDP $48B $60B 🇸🇩 1.3×
GDP per capita $6,449 $1,165 🇱🇾 5.5×
Land area 1,759,540 km² 1,731,671 km² 🇱🇾 ≈
Coastline 1,770 km 853 km 🇱🇾 2.1×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇱🇾 LibyaMiG-21 Fishbed ×11Project 1159-class ×1
🇸🇩 SudanJL-8 ×23T-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×400
Defense budget history Libya ×0.9 · Sudan ×33.0 since 1997
Military personnel history
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Air forces
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Libya vsEritreaCongo Democratic RepublicKenyaUgandaEthiopia
Sudan vsEthiopiaKenyaTunisiaEritreaNigeria
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Libya or Sudan?
Sudan has approximately 104,300 active military personnel compared to Libya's 32,000, giving Sudan a 3.3:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Libya or Sudan?
Sudan operates 99 combat aircraft compared to Libya's 20. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Libya or Sudan?
Libya has a larger navy with 4 warships compared to Sudan's 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Libya or Sudan?
Libya has a larger defense budget at $1.6 billion (4.2:1 more) compared to Sudan's $375 million annually.
Do Libya and Sudan have nuclear weapons?
Neither Libya nor Sudan currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Libya and Sudan compare?
Sudan operates 940 main battle tanks compared to Libya's 43. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.