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Military Strength: Flag of Mali Mali vs Flag of Sudan Sudan

Sudan (ranked #73 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Mali (#109) on the ATLAS Index. Sudan fields 144,000 active troops — 3.5:1 Mali's 41,000, backed by 60,000 paramilitary. Mali's $1.2B defense budget is 3.1:1 that of Sudan ($0.4B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Mali MaliWorld #109 13.3
ATLAS Index / 100

Sudan leads on 3 of 6 pillars

Flag of Sudan SudanWorld #73 21.8
  • 27.841K active troops Manpower10 % 42.0144K active troops
  • 16.910 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 45.6224 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 16.812 combat aircraft Air power25 % 24.491 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 18.8$1.2B budget Defense budget15 % 14.2$375M budget
Mali Sudan 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 Sudan Ratio
Defense budget $1.2B $375M 🇲🇱 3.1×
– share of GDP 4.3% 0.9% 🇲🇱 4.6×
Active personnel 41,000 144,000 🇸🇩 3.5×
Combat aircraft 12 91 🇸🇩 7.6×
Warships 0 0 —
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 10 224 🇸🇩 22×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 0 —
Paramilitary forces 20,000 60,000 🇸🇩 3.0×
Military aircraft (all types) 43 184 🇸🇩 4.3×
– helicopters 10 70 🇸🇩 7.0×
Budget share of govt spending — 9.5% 🇸🇩
Budget per capita $47 $8 🇲🇱 6.0×
Population 24.5M 50.4M 🇸🇩 2.1×
GDP $27B $50B 🇸🇩 1.9×
GDP per capita $1,095 $985 🇲🇱 1.1×
Land area 1,220,190 km² 1,731,671 km² 🇸🇩 1.4×
Coastline 0 km 853 km 🇸🇩
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇲🇱 MaliMiG-21 Fishbed ×9
🇸🇩 SudanQ-5 / A-5 Fantan ×20T-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×400
Defense budget history
Military personnel history
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Mali vsAngolaZimbabweZambiaMauritaniaSouth Sudan
Sudan vsTunisiaKenyaEthiopiaEritreaNigeria
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Mali or Sudan?
Sudan has approximately 144,000 active military personnel compared to Mali's 41,000, giving Sudan a 3.5:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Mali or Sudan?
Sudan operates 91 combat aircraft compared to Mali's 12. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Which country spends more on defense, Mali or Sudan?
Mali has a larger defense budget at $1.2 billion (3.1:1 more) compared to Sudan's $375 million annually.
Do Mali and Sudan have nuclear weapons?
Neither Mali nor Sudan currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Mali and Sudan compare?
Sudan operates 224 main battle tanks compared to Mali's 10. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.