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Military Strength: Flag of Romania Romania vs Flag of Serbia Serbia

Romania (ranked #37 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Serbia (#62) on the ATLAS Index. Romania fields 69,300 active troops — 2.5:1 Serbia's 28,150, backed by 55,000 reserves and 57,000 paramilitary. Romania's $8.8B defense budget is 3.9:1 that of Serbia ($2.3B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Romania RomaniaWorld #37 33.4
ATLAS Index / 100

Romania leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of Serbia SerbiaWorld #62 25.3
  • 44.769K active troops Manpower10 % 36.128K active troops
  • 42.8328 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 36.5242 battle tanks
  • 34.939 warships Naval power20 % 21.212 warships
  • 29.564 combat aircraft Air power25 % 23.831 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 37.6$8.8B budget Defense budget15 % 25.9$2.3B budget
Romania Serbia 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
Romania Serbia Ratio
Defense budget $8.8B $2.3B 🇷🇴 3.9×
– share of GDP 2.3% 2.5% 🇷🇸 1.1×
Active personnel 69,300 28,150 🇷🇴 2.5×
Combat aircraft 64 31 🇷🇴 2.1×
Warships 39 12 🇷🇴 3.2×
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 328 242 🇷🇴 1.4×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 55,000 50,150 🇷🇴 1.1×
Paramilitary forces 57,000 3,000 🇷🇴 19×
Military aircraft (all types) 199 149 🇷🇴 1.3×
– helicopters 64 62 🇷🇴 ≈
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $463 $344 🇷🇴 1.3×
Population 19M 6.5M 🇷🇴 2.9×
GDP $429B $100B 🇷🇴 4.3×
GDP per capita $22,538 $15,262 🇷🇴 1.5×
Land area 231,291 km² 88,246 km² 🇷🇴 2.6×
Coastline 225 km 0 km 🇷🇴
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇷🇴 RomaniaF-16 Fighting Falcon ×64T-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×319Broadsword-class ×2
🇷🇸 SerbiaIAR-93 / J-22 Orao ×17M-84 ×212
Defense budget history Romania ×1.5 · Serbia ×1.5 since 2021
Military personnel history
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Romania or Serbia?
Romania has approximately 69,300 active military personnel compared to Serbia's 28,150, giving Romania a 2.5:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Romania or Serbia?
Romania operates 64 combat aircraft compared to Serbia's 31. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Romania or Serbia?
Romania has a larger navy with 39 warships compared to Serbia's 12.
Which country spends more on defense, Romania or Serbia?
Romania has a larger defense budget at $8.8 billion (3.9:1 more) compared to Serbia's $2.3 billion annually.
Do Romania and Serbia have nuclear weapons?
Neither Romania nor Serbia currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Romania and Serbia compare?
Romania operates 328 main battle tanks compared to Serbia's 242. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.