Military Strength: 
Sri Lanka vs 
Maldives
Sri Lanka (ranked #63 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Maldives (#163) on the ATLAS Index. Sri Lanka fields 317,000 active troops — 63:1 Maldives's 5,000, backed by 5,500 reserves and 94,050 paramilitary. Sri Lanka allocates $1.5B to defense.
ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Sri Lanka
Maldives
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
| Sri Lanka | Maldives | Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defense budget | $1.5B | — | 🇱🇰 |
| – share of GDP | 1.5% | — | 🇱🇰 |
| Active personnel | 317,000 | 5,000 | 🇱🇰 63× |
| Combat aircraft | 17 | 0 | 🇱🇰 |
| Warships | 271 | 0 | 🇱🇰 |
| – submarines | 0 | 0 | — |
| Main battle tanks | 44 | 0 | 🇱🇰 |
| Nuclear warheads | 0 | 0 | — |
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
| Reserve troops | 5,500 | 0 | 🇱🇰 |
| Paramilitary forces | 94,050 | 0 | 🇱🇰 |
| Military aircraft (all types) | 99 | 4 | 🇱🇰 25× |
| – helicopters | 62 | 2 | 🇱🇰 31× |
| Budget share of govt spending | — | — | — |
| Budget per capita | $68 | — | 🇱🇰 |
| Population | 21.9M | 527K | 🇱🇰 42× |
| GDP | $99B | $7.1B | 🇱🇰 14× |
| GDP per capita | $4,516 | $13,379 | 🇲🇻 3.0× |
| Land area | 62,732 km² | 298 km² | 🇱🇰 211× |
| Coastline | 1,340 km | 644 km | 🇱🇰 2.1× |
Backbone systems most numerous in service
Defense budget history
Military personnel history
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who has more military personnel, Sri Lanka or Maldives?
Sri Lanka has approximately 317,000 active military personnel compared to Maldives's 5,000, giving Sri Lanka a 63:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Sri Lanka or Maldives?
Sri Lanka operates 17 combat aircraft compared to Maldives's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Sri Lanka or Maldives?
Sri Lanka has a larger navy with 271 vessels compared to Maldives's 0 ships.
Which country spends more on defense, Sri Lanka or Maldives?
Sri Lanka has a larger defense budget at $1.5 billion compared to Maldives's $0 million annually.
Do Sri Lanka and Maldives have nuclear weapons?
Neither Sri Lanka nor Maldives currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Sri Lanka and Maldives compare?
Sri Lanka operates 44 main battle tanks compared to Maldives's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.