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Military Strength: Flag of Nigeria Nigeria vs Flag of Sierra Leone Sierra Leone

Nigeria (ranked #59 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Sierra Leone (#156) on the ATLAS Index. Nigeria fields 143,000 active troops — 17:1 Sierra Leone's 8,500, backed by 80,000 paramilitary. Nigeria's $1.5B defense budget is 43:1 that of Sierra Leone ($0.03B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Nigeria NigeriaWorld #59 26.7
ATLAS Index / 100

Nigeria leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of Sierra Leone Sierra LeoneWorld #156 4.8
  • 47.0143K active troops Manpower10 % 21.68,500 active troops
  • 36.6330 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 0.00 battle tanks
  • 23.0133 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 24.434 combat aircraft Air power25 % 5.80 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 24.8$1.5B budget Defense budget15 % 7.8$35M budget
Nigeria Sierra Leone 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 Sierra Leone Ratio
Defense budget $1.5B $35M 🇳🇬 43×
– share of GDP 0.6% 0.5% 🇳🇬 1.2×
Active personnel 143,000 8,500 🇳🇬 17×
Combat aircraft 34 0 🇳🇬
Warships 133 0 🇳🇬
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 330 0 🇳🇬
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 0 —
Paramilitary forces 80,000 0 🇳🇬
Military aircraft (all types) 189 1 🇳🇬 189×
– helicopters 76 1 🇳🇬 76×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $6 $4 🇳🇬 1.6×
Population 237.5M 8.8M 🇳🇬 27×
GDP $291B $7.5B 🇳🇬 39×
GDP per capita $1,224 $846 🇳🇬 1.4×
Land area 910,768 km² 71,620 km² 🇳🇬 13×
Coastline 853 km 402 km 🇳🇬 2.1×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇳🇬 NigeriaAlpha Jet ×13Vickers Mk.3 ×172
Defense budget history Nigeria ×0.6 · Sierra Leone ×1.7 since 2020
Military personnel history
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Nigeria vsSouth AfricaTunisiaMoroccoEthiopiaEgypt
Sierra Leone vsSeychellesSomaliaLesothoLiberiaGuinea-Bissau
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Nigeria or Sierra Leone?
Nigeria has approximately 143,000 active military personnel compared to Sierra Leone's 8,500, giving Nigeria a 17:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Nigeria or Sierra Leone?
Nigeria operates 34 combat aircraft compared to Sierra Leone's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Nigeria or Sierra Leone?
Nigeria has a larger navy with 133 warships compared to Sierra Leone's 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Nigeria or Sierra Leone?
Nigeria has a larger defense budget at $1.5 billion (43:1 more) compared to Sierra Leone's $35 million annually.
Do Nigeria and Sierra Leone have nuclear weapons?
Neither Nigeria nor Sierra Leone currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Nigeria and Sierra Leone compare?
Nigeria operates 330 main battle tanks compared to Sierra Leone's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.