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Military Strength: Flag of Mali Mali vs Flag of Nigeria Nigeria

Nigeria (ranked #59 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Mali (#108) on the ATLAS Index. Nigeria fields 143,000 active troops — 11:1 Mali's 13,000, backed by 80,000 paramilitary. Mali allocates $1.2B to defense compared to $1.5B for Nigeria.

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Mali MaliWorld #108 13.6
ATLAS Index / 100

Nigeria leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of Nigeria NigeriaWorld #59 26.7
  • 27.813K active troops Manpower10 % 47.0143K active troops
  • 16.810 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 36.6330 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 23.0133 warships
  • 18.112 combat aircraft Air power25 % 24.434 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 18.8$1.2B budget Defense budget15 % 24.8$1.5B budget
Mali Nigeria 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
Mali Nigeria Ratio
Defense budget $1.2B $1.5B 🇳🇬 1.3×
– share of GDP 4.3% 0.6% 🇲🇱 7.2×
Active personnel 13,000 143,000 🇳🇬 11×
Combat aircraft 12 34 🇳🇬 2.8×
Warships 0 133 🇳🇬
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 10 330 🇳🇬 33×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 0 —
Paramilitary forces 20,000 80,000 🇳🇬 4.0×
Military aircraft (all types) 66 189 🇳🇬 2.9×
– helicopters 9 76 🇳🇬 8.4×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $46 $6 🇲🇱 7.2×
Population 25.2M 237.5M 🇳🇬 9.4×
GDP $30B $291B 🇳🇬 9.7×
GDP per capita $1,193 $1,224 🇳🇬 ≈
Land area 1,220,190 km² 910,768 km² 🇲🇱 1.3×
Coastline 0 km 853 km 🇳🇬
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇲🇱 MaliMiG-21 Fishbed ×9
🇳🇬 NigeriaAlpha Jet ×13Vickers Mk.3 ×172
Defense budget history Mali ×1.9 · Nigeria ×0.6 since 2020
Military personnel history
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Nigeria vsSouth AfricaTunisiaMoroccoEthiopiaEgypt
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Mali or Nigeria?
Nigeria has approximately 143,000 active military personnel compared to Mali's 13,000, giving Nigeria a 11:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Mali or Nigeria?
Nigeria operates 34 combat aircraft compared to Mali's 12. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Mali or Nigeria?
Nigeria has a larger navy with 133 warships compared to Mali's 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Mali or Nigeria?
Nigeria has a larger defense budget at $1.5 billion compared to Mali's $1.2 billion annually.
Do Mali and Nigeria have nuclear weapons?
Neither Mali nor Nigeria currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Mali and Nigeria compare?
Nigeria operates 330 main battle tanks compared to Mali's 10. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.