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Military Strength: Flag of Nicaragua Nicaragua vs Flag of Paraguay Paraguay

Nicaragua (ranked #119 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Paraguay (#125) on the ARMS Index. Paraguay fields 29,000 active troops — 2.4:1 Nicaragua's 12,000, backed by 164,500 reserves and 14,800 paramilitary. Paraguay's $0.4B defense budget is 3.6:1 that of Nicaragua ($0.10B).

ARMS (Aggregate Rating of Military Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Nicaragua NicaraguaWorld #119 17.0
ARMS Index / 100

Nicaragua leads overall, ahead on 1 of 6 pillars

Flag of Paraguay ParaguayWorld #125 15.3
  • 47.612K active troops Manpower15 % 66.029K active troops
  • 44.989 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 0.00 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 14.20 combat aircraft Air power25 % 21.60 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 17.4$98M budget Defense budget10 % 25.7$356M budget
Nicaragua Paraguay Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×0.90 vs ×0.97 · Methodology
Key figures
Nicaragua Paraguay Ratio
Defense budget $98M $356M 🇵🇾 3.6×
– share of GDP 0.5% 0.8% 🇵🇾 1.6×
Active personnel 12,000 29,000 🇵🇾 2.4×
Combat aircraft 0 0 —
Warships 0 0 —
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 89 0 🇳🇮
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 164,500 🇵🇾
Paramilitary forces 0 14,800 🇵🇾
Military aircraft (all types) 17 56 🇵🇾 3.3×
– helicopters 11 17 🇵🇾 1.5×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $14 $51 🇵🇾 3.6×
Population 6.9M 6.9M 🇵🇾 ≈
GDP $20B $44B 🇵🇾 2.3×
GDP per capita $2,848 $6,416 🇵🇾 2.3×
Land area 119,990 km² 397,302 km² 🇵🇾 3.3×
Coastline 910 km 0 km 🇳🇮
Defense budget history Nicaragua ×1.3 · Paraguay ×1.0 since 2020
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Nicaragua or Paraguay?
Paraguay has approximately 29,000 active military personnel compared to Nicaragua's 12,000, giving Paraguay a 2.4:1 numerical advantage.
Which country spends more on defense, Nicaragua or Paraguay?
Paraguay has a larger defense budget at $356 million (3.6:1 more) compared to Nicaragua's $98 million annually.
Do Nicaragua and Paraguay have nuclear weapons?
Neither Nicaragua nor Paraguay currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Nicaragua and Paraguay compare?
Nicaragua operates 89 main battle tanks compared to Paraguay's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.