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Military Strength: Flag of Nigeria Nigeria vs Flag of Sudan Sudan

Nigeria (ranked #58 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Sudan (#73) on the ATLAS Index. Nigeria fields 143,000 active troops vs 104,300 for Sudan, backed by 80,000 paramilitary. Nigeria's $1.5B defense budget is 4.0:1 that of Sudan ($0.4B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Nigeria NigeriaWorld #58 26.7
ATLAS Index / 100

Nigeria leads on 3 of 6 pillars

Flag of Sudan SudanWorld #73 21.7
  • 47.0143K active troops Manpower10 % 42.0104K active troops
  • 36.6330 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 45.1940 battle tanks
  • 23.0133 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 24.236 combat aircraft Air power25 % 24.399 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 24.8$1.5B budget Defense budget15 % 14.2$375M budget
Nigeria 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
Nigeria Sudan Ratio
Defense budget $1.5B $375M 🇳🇬 4.0×
– share of GDP 0.6% 0.9% 🇸🇩 1.5×
Active personnel 143,000 104,300 🇳🇬 1.4×
Combat aircraft 36 99 🇸🇩 2.8×
Warships 133 0 🇳🇬
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 330 940 🇸🇩 2.8×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 0 —
Paramilitary forces 80,000 60,000 🇳🇬 1.3×
Military aircraft (all types) 180 192 🇸🇩 1.1×
– helicopters 76 70 🇳🇬 1.1×
Budget share of govt spending — 9.5% 🇸🇩
Budget per capita $6 $8 🇸🇩 1.2×
Population 237.5M 51.7M 🇳🇬 4.6×
GDP $291B $60B 🇳🇬 4.8×
GDP per capita $1,224 $1,165 🇳🇬 1.1×
Land area 910,768 km² 1,731,671 km² 🇸🇩 1.9×
Coastline 853 km 853 km —
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇳🇬 NigeriaAlpha Jet ×13Vickers Mk.3 ×172
🇸🇩 SudanJL-8 ×23T-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×400
Defense budget history
Military personnel history
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Nigeria vsSouth AfricaTunisiaMoroccoEthiopiaEgypt
Sudan vsEthiopiaKenyaTunisiaEritreaSouth Africa
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Nigeria or Sudan?
Nigeria has approximately 143,000 active military personnel compared to Sudan's 104,300.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Nigeria or Sudan?
Sudan operates 99 combat aircraft compared to Nigeria's 36. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Nigeria or Sudan?
Nigeria has a larger navy with 133 warships compared to Sudan's 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Nigeria or Sudan?
Nigeria has a larger defense budget at $1.5 billion (4.0:1 more) compared to Sudan's $375 million annually.
Do Nigeria and Sudan have nuclear weapons?
Neither Nigeria nor Sudan currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Nigeria and Sudan compare?
Sudan operates 940 main battle tanks compared to Nigeria's 330. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.