Military Strength:
Romania vs
Sweden
Sweden (ranked #32 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Romania (#46) on the ARMS Index. Romania fields 128,000 active troops — 8.5:1 Sweden's 15,000, backed by 55,000 reserves and 57,000 paramilitary. Romania allocates $8.8B to defense compared to $15B for Sweden.
ARMS (Aggregate Rating of Military Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Romania
Sweden
Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×1.08 vs ×1.18 · Methodology
Key figures
| Romania | Sweden | Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defense budget | $8.8B | $15B | 🇸🇪 1.7× |
| – share of GDP | 2.3% | 2.5% | 🇸🇪 1.1× |
| Active personnel | 128,000 | 15,000 | 🇷🇴 8.5× |
| Combat aircraft | 49 | 96 | 🇸🇪 2.0× |
| Warships | 33 | 232 | 🇸🇪 7.0× |
| – submarines | 0 | 5 | 🇸🇪 |
| Main battle tanks | 328 | 110 | 🇷🇴 3.0× |
| Nuclear warheads | 0 | 0 | — |
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
| Reserve troops | 55,000 | 32,900 | 🇷🇴 1.7× |
| Paramilitary forces | 57,000 | 21,200 | 🇷🇴 2.7× |
| Military aircraft (all types) | 166 | 170 | 🇸🇪 ≈ |
| – helicopters | 64 | 53 | 🇷🇴 1.2× |
| Budget share of govt spending | — | — | — |
| Budget per capita | $462 | $1,428 | 🇸🇪 3.1× |
| Population | 19.1M | 10.6M | 🇷🇴 1.8× |
| GDP | $383B | $604B | 🇸🇪 1.6× |
| GDP per capita | $20,080 | $57,117 | 🇸🇪 2.8× |
| Land area | 231,291 km² | 407,284 km² | 🇸🇪 1.8× |
| Coastline | 225 km | 3,218 km | 🇸🇪 14× |
Backbone systems most numerous in service
Defense budget history Romania ×1.6 · Sweden ×1.7 since 2021
Military personnel history
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who has more military personnel, Romania or Sweden?
Romania has approximately 128,000 active military personnel compared to Sweden's 15,000, giving Romania a 8.5:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Romania or Sweden?
Sweden operates 96 combat aircraft compared to Romania's 49. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Romania or Sweden?
Sweden has a larger navy with 232 vessels compared to Romania's 33 ships. Romania operates 0 submarines while Sweden has 5.
Which country spends more on defense, Romania or Sweden?
Sweden has a larger defense budget at $15.1 billion (1.7:1 more) compared to Romania's $8.8 billion annually.
Do Romania and Sweden have nuclear weapons?
Neither Romania nor Sweden currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Romania and Sweden compare?
Romania operates 328 main battle tanks compared to Sweden's 110. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.