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Military Strength: Flag of Mali Mali vs Flag of Uganda Uganda

Uganda (ranked #90 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Mali (#108) on the ATLAS Index. Uganda fields 45,000 active troops — 3.5:1 Mali's 13,000, backed by 10,000 reserves and 1,400 paramilitary. Mali allocates $1.2B to defense compared to $1.3B for Uganda.

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

Uganda leads on 4 of 6 pillars

Flag of Uganda UgandaWorld #90 17.1
  • 27.813K active troops Manpower10 % 34.645K active troops
  • 16.810 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 28.7239 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 18.112 combat aircraft Air power25 % 19.26 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 18.8$1.2B budget Defense budget15 % 19.4$1.3B budget
Mali Uganda 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 Uganda Ratio
Defense budget $1.2B $1.3B 🇺🇬 1.1×
– share of GDP 4.3% 2.0% 🇲🇱 2.2×
Active personnel 13,000 45,000 🇺🇬 3.5×
Combat aircraft 12 6 🇲🇱 2.0×
Warships 0 0 —
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 10 239 🇺🇬 24×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 10,000 🇺🇬
Paramilitary forces 20,000 1,400 🇲🇱 14×
Military aircraft (all types) 66 51 🇲🇱 1.3×
– helicopters 9 29 🇺🇬 3.2×
Budget share of govt spending — 9.0% 🇺🇬
Budget per capita $46 $26 🇲🇱 1.8×
Population 25.2M 51.4M 🇺🇬 2.0×
GDP $30B $62B 🇺🇬 2.1×
GDP per capita $1,193 $1,206 🇺🇬 ≈
Land area 1,220,190 km² 197,100 km² 🇲🇱 6.2×
Coastline 0 km 0 km —
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇲🇱 MaliMiG-21 Fishbed ×9
🇺🇬 UgandaSu-30 Flanker-C ×6T-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×140
Defense budget history Mali ×1.9 · Uganda ×1.1 since 2020
Military personnel history
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Air forces
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Mali vsZambiaAngolaSouth SudanZimbabweChad
Uganda vsCongo Democratic RepublicTanzaniaEritreaChadLibya
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Mali or Uganda?
Uganda has approximately 45,000 active military personnel compared to Mali's 13,000, giving Uganda a 3.5:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Mali or Uganda?
Mali operates 12 combat aircraft compared to Uganda's 6. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Which country spends more on defense, Mali or Uganda?
Uganda has a larger defense budget at $1.3 billion compared to Mali's $1.2 billion annually.
Do Mali and Uganda have nuclear weapons?
Neither Mali nor Uganda currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Mali and Uganda compare?
Uganda operates 239 main battle tanks compared to Mali's 10. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.