Military Strength: 
New Zealand vs 
Papua New Guinea
New Zealand (ranked #90 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Papua New Guinea (#151) on the ATLAS Index. New Zealand fields 10,000 active troops — 2.5:1 Papua New Guinea's 4,000, backed by 3,270 reserves. New Zealand's $3.1B defense budget is 33:1 that of Papua New Guinea ($0.10B).
ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
New ZealandWorld #90
16.5
ATLAS Index / 100
New Zealand leads on 4 of 6 pillars
Papua New GuineaWorld #151
6.0
New Zealand
Papua New Guinea
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
| New Zealand | Papua New Guinea | Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defense budget | $3.1B | $95M | 🇳🇿 33× |
| – share of GDP | 1.2% | 0.3% | 🇳🇿 4.0× |
| Active personnel | 10,000 | 4,000 | 🇳🇿 2.5× |
| Combat aircraft | 0 | 0 | — |
| Warships | 5 | 0 | 🇳🇿 |
| – submarines | 0 | 0 | — |
| Main battle tanks | 0 | 0 | — |
| Nuclear warheads | 0 | 0 | — |
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
| Reserve troops | 3,270 | 0 | 🇳🇿 |
| Paramilitary forces | 0 | 0 | — |
| Military aircraft (all types) | 47 | 3 | 🇳🇿 16× |
| – helicopters | 21 | 0 | 🇳🇿 |
| Budget share of govt spending | — | — | — |
| Budget per capita | $590 | $9 | 🇳🇿 65× |
| Population | 5.3M | 10.6M | 🇵🇬 2.0× |
| GDP | $260B | $32B | 🇳🇿 8.2× |
| GDP per capita | $49,205 | $3,007 | 🇳🇿 16× |
| Land area | 262,443 km² | 452,860 km² | 🇵🇬 1.7× |
| Coastline | 15,134 km | 5,152 km | 🇳🇿 2.9× |
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇳🇿 New ZealandAnzac-class ×2
Defense budget history New Zealand ×1.0 · Papua New Guinea ×1.0 since 2020
Military personnel history
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who has more military personnel, New Zealand or Papua New Guinea?
New Zealand has approximately 10,000 active military personnel compared to Papua New Guinea's 4,000, giving New Zealand a 2.5:1 numerical advantage.
Who has the larger navy, New Zealand or Papua New Guinea?
New Zealand has a larger navy with 5 vessels compared to Papua New Guinea's 0 ships.
Which country spends more on defense, New Zealand or Papua New Guinea?
New Zealand has a larger defense budget at $3.1 billion (33:1 more) compared to Papua New Guinea's $95 million annually.
Do New Zealand and Papua New Guinea have nuclear weapons?
Neither New Zealand nor Papua New Guinea currently possesses nuclear weapons.