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Military Strength: Flag of Nicaragua Nicaragua vs Flag of Venezuela Venezuela

Venezuela (ranked #58 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Nicaragua (#112) on the ATLAS Index. Venezuela fields 123,000 active troops — 10:1 Nicaragua's 12,000, backed by 8,000 reserves and 220,000 paramilitary. Venezuela's $0.7B defense budget is 7.3:1 that of Nicaragua ($0.10B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Nicaragua NicaraguaWorld #112 12.7
ATLAS Index / 100

Venezuela leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of Venezuela VenezuelaWorld #58 27.0
  • 23.512K active troops Manpower10 % 47.1123K active troops
  • 27.689 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 30.7173 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 29.863 warships
  • 12.50 combat aircraft Air power25 % 29.557 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 10.2$98M budget Defense budget15 % 16.7$719M budget
Nicaragua Venezuela 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 Venezuela Ratio
Defense budget $98M $719M 🇻🇪 7.3×
– share of GDP 0.5% 0.6% 🇻🇪 1.2×
Active personnel 12,000 123,000 🇻🇪 10×
Combat aircraft 0 57 🇻🇪
Warships 0 63 🇻🇪
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 89 173 🇻🇪 1.9×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 8,000 🇻🇪
Paramilitary forces 0 220,000 🇻🇪
Military aircraft (all types) 17 227 🇻🇪 13×
– helicopters 11 83 🇻🇪 7.5×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $14 $25 🇻🇪 1.8×
Population 7M 28.5M 🇻🇪 4.1×
GDP $22B $100B 🇻🇪 4.5×
GDP per capita $3,173 $3,495 🇻🇪 1.1×
Land area 119,990 km² 882,050 km² 🇻🇪 7.4×
Coastline 910 km 2,800 km 🇻🇪 3.1×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇻🇪 VenezuelaSu-30 Flanker-C ×21T-72 ×92
Defense budget history Nicaragua ×1.1 · Venezuela ×1.3 since 2022
Military personnel history
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Air forces
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Nicaragua vsDominican RepublicParaguayEl SalvadorHondurasGuatemala
Venezuela vsColombiaBrazilArgentinaEcuadorPeru
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Nicaragua or Venezuela?
Venezuela has approximately 123,000 active military personnel compared to Nicaragua's 12,000, giving Venezuela a 10:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Nicaragua or Venezuela?
Venezuela operates 57 combat aircraft compared to Nicaragua's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Nicaragua or Venezuela?
Venezuela has a larger navy with 63 warships compared to Nicaragua's 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Nicaragua or Venezuela?
Venezuela has a larger defense budget at $719 million (7.3:1 more) compared to Nicaragua's $98 million annually.
Do Nicaragua and Venezuela have nuclear weapons?
Neither Nicaragua nor Venezuela currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Nicaragua and Venezuela compare?
Venezuela operates 173 main battle tanks compared to Nicaragua's 89. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.