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Military Strength: Flag of Mali Mali vs Flag of Zimbabwe Zimbabwe

Mali (ranked #109 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Zimbabwe (#110) on the ATLAS Index. Zimbabwe fields 29,000 active troops — 2.2:1 Mali's 13,000, backed by 21,800 paramilitary. Mali's $1.2B defense budget is 6.9:1 that of Zimbabwe ($0.2B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Mali MaliWorld #109 13.4
ATLAS Index / 100

Mali leads overall, ahead on 1 of 6 pillars

Flag of Zimbabwe ZimbabweWorld #110 13.1
  • 27.813K active troops Manpower10 % 30.929K active troops
  • 16.810 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 17.715 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 17.012 combat aircraft Air power25 % 18.421 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 18.8$1.2B budget Defense budget15 % 11.6$166M budget
Mali Zimbabwe 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 Zimbabwe Ratio
Defense budget $1.2B $166M 🇲🇱 6.9×
– share of GDP 4.3% 0.4% 🇲🇱 11×
Active personnel 13,000 29,000 🇿🇼 2.2×
Combat aircraft 12 21 🇿🇼 1.8×
Warships 0 0 —
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 10 15 🇿🇼 1.5×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 0 —
Paramilitary forces 20,000 21,800 🇿🇼 1.1×
Military aircraft (all types) 44 95 🇿🇼 2.2×
– helicopters 9 29 🇿🇼 3.2×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $46 $10 🇲🇱 4.7×
Population 25.2M 17M 🇲🇱 1.5×
GDP $30B $51B 🇿🇼 1.7×
GDP per capita $1,193 $3,021 🇿🇼 2.5×
Land area 1,220,190 km² 386,847 km² 🇲🇱 3.2×
Coastline 0 km 0 km —
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇲🇱 MaliMiG-21 Fishbed ×9
🇿🇼 ZimbabweJ-7 Fishcan ×11
Defense budget history Mali ×1.9 · Zimbabwe ×0.6 since 2020
Military personnel history
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Air forces
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Zimbabwe vsAngolaMozambiqueZambiaMauritaniaSouth Sudan
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Mali or Zimbabwe?
Zimbabwe has approximately 29,000 active military personnel compared to Mali's 13,000, giving Zimbabwe a 2.2:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Mali or Zimbabwe?
Zimbabwe operates 21 combat aircraft compared to Mali's 12. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Which country spends more on defense, Mali or Zimbabwe?
Mali has a larger defense budget at $1.2 billion (6.9:1 more) compared to Zimbabwe's $166 million annually.
Do Mali and Zimbabwe have nuclear weapons?
Neither Mali nor Zimbabwe currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Mali and Zimbabwe compare?
Zimbabwe operates 15 main battle tanks compared to Mali's 10. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.