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Military Strength: Flag of North Macedonia North Macedonia vs Flag of Serbia Serbia

Serbia (ranked #63 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than North Macedonia (#114) on the ARMS Index. Serbia fields 32,000 active troops — 2.0:1 North Macedonia's 16,000, backed by 50,150 reserves and 3,000 paramilitary. Serbia's $2.3B defense budget is 6.6:1 that of North Macedonia ($0.3B).

ARMS (Aggregate Rating of Military Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of North Macedonia North MacedoniaWorld #114 17.4
ARMS Index / 100

Serbia leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of Serbia SerbiaWorld #63 33.5
  • 47.516K active troops Manpower15 % 60.432K active troops
  • 32.020 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 54.4262 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 14.430 warships
  • 14.70 combat aircraft Air power25 % 38.932 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 25.4$339M budget Defense budget10 % 39.8$2.3B budget
North Macedonia Serbia Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×1.01 vs ×1.05 · Methodology
Key figures
North Macedonia Serbia Ratio
Defense budget $339M $2.3B 🇷🇸 6.6×
– share of GDP 2.0% 2.5% 🇷🇸 1.2×
Active personnel 16,000 32,000 🇷🇸 2.0×
Combat aircraft 0 32 🇷🇸
Warships 0 30 🇷🇸
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 20 262 🇷🇸 13×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 4,850 50,150 🇷🇸 10×
Paramilitary forces 5,000 3,000 🇲🇰 1.7×
Military aircraft (all types) 20 151 🇷🇸 7.5×
– helicopters 14 61 🇷🇸 4.4×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $186 $342 🇷🇸 1.8×
Population 1.8M 6.6M 🇷🇸 3.6×
GDP $17B $90B 🇷🇸 5.3×
GDP per capita $9,292 $13,679 🇷🇸 1.5×
Land area 25,433 km² 88,246 km² 🇷🇸 3.5×
Coastline 0 km 0 km —
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇷🇸 SerbiaIAR-93 / J-22 Orao ×17M-84 ×212
Defense budget history North Macedonia ×1.5 · Serbia ×1.5 since 2021
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, North Macedonia or Serbia?
Serbia has approximately 32,000 active military personnel compared to North Macedonia's 16,000, giving Serbia a 2.0:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, North Macedonia or Serbia?
Serbia operates 32 combat aircraft compared to North Macedonia's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, North Macedonia or Serbia?
Serbia has a larger navy with 30 vessels compared to North Macedonia's 0 ships.
Which country spends more on defense, North Macedonia or Serbia?
Serbia has a larger defense budget at $2.3 billion (6.6:1 more) compared to North Macedonia's $339 million annually.
Do North Macedonia and Serbia have nuclear weapons?
Neither North Macedonia nor Serbia currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of North Macedonia and Serbia compare?
Serbia operates 262 main battle tanks compared to North Macedonia's 20. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.