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

Sudan (ranked #75 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Libya (#79) on the ARMS Index. Sudan fields 144,000 active troops — 21:1 Libya's 7,000, backed by 60,000 paramilitary. Libya's $1.6B defense budget is 4.2:1 that of Sudan ($0.4B).

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Flag of Libya LibyaWorld #79 27.4
ARMS Index / 100

Sudan leads on 3 of 6 pillars

Flag of Sudan SudanWorld #75 28.4
  • 55.87,000 active troops Manpower15 % 67.8144K active troops
  • 38.443 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 68.6224 battle tanks
  • 17.84 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 30.020 combat aircraft Air power25 % 46.191 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 36.9$1.6B budget Defense budget10 % 26.1$375M budget
Libya Sudan Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×1.02 vs ×0.84 · Methodology
Key figures
Libya Sudan Ratio
Defense budget $1.6B $375M 🇱🇾 4.2×
– share of GDP 5.3% 0.9% 🇱🇾 5.7×
Active personnel 7,000 144,000 🇸🇩 21×
Combat aircraft 20 91 🇸🇩 4.5×
Warships 4 0 🇱🇾
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 43 224 🇸🇩 5.2×
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) 80 184 🇸🇩 2.3×
– helicopters 17 70 🇸🇩 4.1×
Budget share of govt spending 5.5% 9.5% 🇸🇩 1.7×
Budget per capita $217 $8 🇱🇾 27×
Population 7.4M 50.4M 🇸🇩 6.8×
GDP $48B $50B 🇸🇩 ≈
GDP per capita $6,569 $985 🇱🇾 6.7×
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
🇸🇩 SudanQ-5 / A-5 Fantan ×20T-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×400
Defense budget history Libya ×196.4 · Sudan ×194.5 since 1959
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Libya or Sudan?
Sudan has approximately 144,000 active military personnel compared to Libya's 7,000, giving Sudan a 21:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Libya or Sudan?
Sudan operates 91 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 vessels compared to Sudan's 0 ships.
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 224 main battle tanks compared to Libya's 43. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.