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Military Strength: Flag of Mexico Mexico vs Flag of Venezuela Venezuela

Mexico (ranked #38 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Venezuela (#58) on the ATLAS Index. Mexico fields 216,000 active troops vs 123,000 for Venezuela, backed by 81,500 reserves and 120,000 paramilitary. Mexico's $17B defense budget is 23:1 that of Venezuela ($0.7B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Mexico MexicoWorld #38 33.5
ATLAS Index / 100

Mexico leads on 4 of 6 pillars

Flag of Venezuela VenezuelaWorld #58 27.0
  • 57.9216K active troops Manpower10 % 47.1123K active troops
  • 34.90 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 30.7173 battle tanks
  • 28.9133 warships Naval power20 % 29.863 warships
  • 30.57 combat aircraft Air power25 % 29.557 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 46.1$17B budget Defense budget15 % 16.7$719M budget
Mexico Venezuela 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
Mexico Venezuela Ratio
Defense budget $17B $719M 🇲🇽 23×
– share of GDP 0.9% 0.6% 🇲🇽 1.5×
Active personnel 216,000 123,000 🇲🇽 1.8×
Combat aircraft 7 57 🇻🇪 8.1×
Warships 133 63 🇲🇽 2.1×
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 0 173 🇻🇪
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 81,500 8,000 🇲🇽 10×
Paramilitary forces 120,000 220,000 🇻🇪 1.8×
Military aircraft (all types) 466 227 🇲🇽 2.1×
– helicopters 170 83 🇲🇽 2.0×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $127 $25 🇲🇽 5.0×
Population 131.9M 28.5M 🇲🇽 4.6×
GDP $1.8T $100B 🇲🇽 18×
GDP per capita $13,889 $3,495 🇲🇽 4.0×
Land area 1,943,945 km² 882,050 km² 🇲🇽 2.2×
Coastline 9,330 km 2,800 km 🇲🇽 3.3×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇲🇽 MexicoF-5E Tiger II ×7Sigma-class ×1
🇻🇪 VenezuelaSu-30 Flanker-C ×21T-72 ×92
Defense budget history Mexico ×1.6 · Venezuela ×1.3 since 2022
Military personnel history
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Mexico or Venezuela?
Mexico has approximately 216,000 active military personnel compared to Venezuela's 123,000, giving Mexico a 1.8:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Mexico or Venezuela?
Venezuela operates 57 combat aircraft compared to Mexico's 7. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Mexico or Venezuela?
Mexico has a larger navy with 133 warships compared to Venezuela's 63.
Which country spends more on defense, Mexico or Venezuela?
Mexico has a larger defense budget at $16.7 billion (23:1 more) compared to Venezuela's $719 million annually.
Do Mexico and Venezuela have nuclear weapons?
Neither Mexico nor Venezuela currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Mexico and Venezuela compare?
Venezuela operates 173 main battle tanks compared to Mexico's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.