Military Strength: 
South Sudan vs 
Chad
Chad (ranked #92 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than South Sudan (#103) on the ATLAS Index. South Sudan fields 185,000 active troops — 5.6:1 Chad's 33,250. Chad's $0.6B defense budget is 2.4:1 that of South Sudan ($0.2B).
ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
South Sudan
Chad
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
| South Sudan | Chad | Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defense budget | $240M | $586M | 🇹🇩 2.4× |
| – share of GDP | 2.0% | 3.0% | 🇹🇩 1.5× |
| Active personnel | 185,000 | 33,250 | 🇸🇸 5.6× |
| Combat aircraft | 0 | 9 | 🇹🇩 |
| Warships | 0 | 0 | — |
| – submarines | 0 | 0 | — |
| Main battle tanks | 30 | 90 | 🇹🇩 3.0× |
| Nuclear warheads | 0 | 0 | — |
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
| Reserve troops | 0 | 0 | — |
| Paramilitary forces | 0 | 11,900 | 🇹🇩 |
| Military aircraft (all types) | 20 | 47 | 🇹🇩 2.4× |
| – helicopters | 15 | 16 | 🇹🇩 1.1× |
| Budget share of govt spending | — | — | — |
| Budget per capita | $20 | $28 | 🇹🇩 1.4× |
| Population | 12.2M | 21M | 🇹🇩 1.7× |
| GDP | $12B | $21B | 🇹🇩 1.8× |
| GDP per capita | $984 | $1,022 | 🇹🇩 ≈ |
| Land area | 644,329 km² | 1,259,200 km² | 🇹🇩 2.0× |
| Coastline | 0 km | 0 km | — |
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇹🇩 ChadSu-25 Frogfoot ×9
Defense budget history South Sudan ×1.3 · Chad ×1.9 since 2020
Military personnel history
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who has more military personnel, South Sudan or Chad?
South Sudan has approximately 185,000 active military personnel compared to Chad's 33,250, giving South Sudan a 5.6:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, South Sudan or Chad?
Chad operates 9 combat aircraft compared to South Sudan's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Which country spends more on defense, South Sudan or Chad?
Chad has a larger defense budget at $586 million (2.4:1 more) compared to South Sudan's $240 million annually.
Do South Sudan and Chad have nuclear weapons?
Neither South Sudan nor Chad currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of South Sudan and Chad compare?
Chad operates 90 main battle tanks compared to South Sudan's 30. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.