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Military Strength: Flag of Sudan Sudan vs Flag of South Africa South Africa

South Africa (ranked #50 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Sudan (#75) on the ARMS Index. Sudan fields 144,000 active troops vs 89,000 for South Africa, backed by 60,000 paramilitary. South Africa's $2.8B defense budget is 7.5:1 that of Sudan ($0.4B).

ARMS (Aggregate Rating of Military Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Sudan SudanWorld #75 28.4
ARMS Index / 100

South Africa leads overall, ahead on 2 of 6 pillars

Flag of South Africa South AfricaWorld #50 38.3
  • 67.8144K active troops Manpower15 % 63.089K active troops
  • 68.6224 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 57.5252 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 38.149 warships
  • 46.191 combat aircraft Air power25 % 42.525 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 26.1$375M budget Defense budget10 % 41.6$2.8B budget
Sudan South Africa Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×0.84 vs ×1.01 · Methodology
Key figures
Sudan South Africa Ratio
Defense budget $375M $2.8B 🇿🇦 7.5×
– share of GDP 0.9% 0.7% 🇸🇩 1.3×
Active personnel 144,000 89,000 🇸🇩 1.6×
Combat aircraft 91 25 🇸🇩 3.6×
Warships 0 49 🇿🇦
– submarines 0 3 🇿🇦
Main battle tanks 224 252 🇿🇦 1.1×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 15,050 🇿🇦
Paramilitary forces 60,000 0 🇸🇩
Military aircraft (all types) 184 192 🇿🇦 ≈
– helicopters 70 84 🇿🇦 1.2×
Budget share of govt spending 9.5% — 🇸🇩
Budget per capita $8 $44 🇿🇦 5.6×
Population 50.4M 64M 🇿🇦 1.3×
GDP $50B $401B 🇿🇦 8.1×
GDP per capita $985 $6,267 🇿🇦 6.4×
Land area 1,731,671 km² 1,214,470 km² 🇸🇩 1.4×
Coastline 853 km 2,798 km 🇿🇦 3.3×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇸🇩 SudanQ-5 / A-5 Fantan ×20T-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×400
🇿🇦 South AfricaJAS 39 Gripen ×25Olifant 1 ×200Heroine-class ×3
Defense budget history
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Sudan or South Africa?
Sudan has approximately 144,000 active military personnel compared to South Africa's 89,000, giving Sudan a 1.6:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Sudan or South Africa?
Sudan operates 91 combat aircraft compared to South Africa's 25. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Sudan or South Africa?
South Africa has a larger navy with 49 vessels compared to Sudan's 0 ships. Sudan operates 0 submarines while South Africa has 3.
Which country spends more on defense, Sudan or South Africa?
South Africa has a larger defense budget at $2.8 billion (7.5:1 more) compared to Sudan's $375 million annually.
Do Sudan and South Africa have nuclear weapons?
Neither Sudan nor South Africa currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Sudan and South Africa compare?
South Africa operates 252 main battle tanks compared to Sudan's 224. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.