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Military Strength: Flag of Eritrea Eritrea vs Flag of Sudan Sudan

Sudan (ranked #75 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Eritrea (#95) on the ARMS Index. Eritrea fields 201,750 active troops vs 144,000 for Sudan. Sudan's $0.4B defense budget is 2.1:1 that of Eritrea ($0.2B).

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Flag of Eritrea EritreaWorld #95 22.0
ARMS Index / 100

Sudan leads on 3 of 6 pillars

Flag of Sudan SudanWorld #75 28.3
  • 76.3201K active troops Manpower15 % 67.8144K active troops
  • 48.365 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 68.6224 battle tanks
  • 13.523 warships Naval power20 % 0.00 warships
  • 20.02 combat aircraft Air power25 % 46.091 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 21.2$182M budget Defense budget10 % 26.1$375M budget
Eritrea Sudan Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×0.80 vs ×0.84 · Methodology
Key figures
Eritrea Sudan Ratio
Defense budget $182M $375M 🇸🇩 2.1×
– share of GDP 20.9% 0.9% 🇪🇷 22×
Active personnel 201,750 144,000 🇪🇷 1.4×
Combat aircraft 2 91 🇸🇩 46×
Warships 23 0 🇪🇷
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 65 224 🇸🇩 3.4×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 0 —
Paramilitary forces 0 60,000 🇸🇩
Military aircraft (all types) 20 184 🇸🇩 9.2×
– helicopters 13 70 🇸🇩 5.4×
Budget share of govt spending 46.4% 9.5% 🇪🇷 4.9×
Budget per capita $75 $8 🇪🇷 9.5×
Population 3.5M 50.4M 🇸🇩 14×
GDP $2.1B $50B 🇸🇩 24×
GDP per capita $584 $985 🇸🇩 1.7×
Land area 125,000 km² 1,731,671 km² 🇸🇩 14×
Coastline 2,234 km 853 km 🇪🇷 2.6×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇪🇷 EritreaSu-27 Flanker ×2T-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×270
🇸🇩 SudanQ-5 / A-5 Fantan ×20T-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×400
Defense budget history Eritrea ×1.7 · Sudan ×1.5 since 1993
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Eritrea or Sudan?
Eritrea has approximately 201,750 active military personnel compared to Sudan's 144,000.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Eritrea or Sudan?
Sudan operates 91 combat aircraft compared to Eritrea's 2. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Eritrea or Sudan?
Eritrea has a larger navy with 23 vessels compared to Sudan's 0 ships.
Which country spends more on defense, Eritrea or Sudan?
Sudan has a larger defense budget at $375 million (2.1:1 more) compared to Eritrea's $182 million annually.
Do Eritrea and Sudan have nuclear weapons?
Neither Eritrea nor Sudan currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Eritrea and Sudan compare?
Sudan operates 224 main battle tanks compared to Eritrea's 65. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.