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Military Strength: Flag of Nicaragua Nicaragua vs Flag of Peru Peru

Peru (ranked #50 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Nicaragua (#111) on the ATLAS Index. Peru fields 158,000 active troops — 13:1 Nicaragua's 12,000, backed by 188,000 reserves and 77,000 paramilitary. Peru's $2.3B defense budget is 23:1 that of Nicaragua ($0.10B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Nicaragua NicaraguaWorld #111 12.7
ATLAS Index / 100

Peru leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of Peru PeruWorld #50 29.7
  • 23.512K active troops Manpower10 % 51.0158K active troops
  • 27.889 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 29.0240 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 34.277 warships
  • 12.60 combat aircraft Air power25 % 28.042 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 10.2$98M budget Defense budget15 % 30.4$2.3B budget
Nicaragua Peru 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
Nicaragua Peru Ratio
Defense budget $98M $2.3B 🇵🇪 23×
– share of GDP 0.5% 0.8% 🇵🇪 1.6×
Active personnel 12,000 158,000 🇵🇪 13×
Combat aircraft 0 42 🇵🇪
Warships 0 77 🇵🇪
– submarines 0 5 🇵🇪
Main battle tanks 89 240 🇵🇪 2.7×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 188,000 🇵🇪
Paramilitary forces 0 77,000 🇵🇪
Military aircraft (all types) 17 255 🇵🇪 15×
– helicopters 11 106 🇵🇪 9.6×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $14 $68 🇵🇪 4.7×
Population 6.9M 34.2M 🇵🇪 4.9×
GDP $20B $289B 🇵🇪 15×
GDP per capita $2,848 $8,452 🇵🇪 3.0×
Land area 119,990 km² 1,279,996 km² 🇵🇪 11×
Coastline 910 km 2,414 km 🇵🇪 2.7×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇵🇪 PeruA-37 Dragonfly ×20T-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×205Type 209-class ×5
Defense budget history Nicaragua ×1.3 · Peru ×1.0 since 2020
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Nicaragua or Peru?
Peru has approximately 158,000 active military personnel compared to Nicaragua's 12,000, giving Peru a 13:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Nicaragua or Peru?
Peru operates 42 combat aircraft compared to Nicaragua's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Nicaragua or Peru?
Peru has a larger navy with 77 vessels compared to Nicaragua's 0 ships. Nicaragua operates 0 submarines while Peru has 5.
Which country spends more on defense, Nicaragua or Peru?
Peru has a larger defense budget at $2.3 billion (23:1 more) compared to Nicaragua's $98 million annually.
Do Nicaragua and Peru have nuclear weapons?
Neither Nicaragua nor Peru currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Nicaragua and Peru compare?
Peru operates 240 main battle tanks compared to Nicaragua's 89. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.