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Military Strength: Flag of Syria Syria vs Flag of Yemen Yemen

Syria (ranked #73 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Yemen (#90) on the ARMS Index. Syria fields 269,000 active troops — 13:1 Yemen's 20,000. Syria allocates $2.5B to defense compared to $1.7B for Yemen.

ARMS (Aggregate Rating of Military Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Syria SyriaWorld #73 29.8
ARMS Index / 100

Syria leads on 4 of 6 pillars

Flag of Yemen YemenWorld #90 23.5
  • 70.8269K active troops Manpower15 % 57.720K active troops
  • 38.7365 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 0.00 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 17.729 warships
  • 54.5225 combat aircraft Air power25 % 42.875 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 40.6$2.5B budget Defense budget10 % 37.6$1.7B budget
Syria Yemen Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×0.94 vs ×1.01 · Methodology
Key figures
Syria Yemen Ratio
Defense budget $2.5B $1.7B 🇸🇾 1.5×
– share of GDP 4.1% 4.0% 🇸🇾 ≈
Active personnel 269,000 20,000 🇸🇾 13×
Combat aircraft 225 75 🇸🇾 3.0×
Warships 0 29 🇾🇪
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 365 0 🇸🇾
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 0 —
Paramilitary forces 0 0 —
Military aircraft (all types) 414 156 🇸🇾 2.7×
– helicopters 153 40 🇸🇾 3.8×
Budget share of govt spending 13.6% 14.3% 🇾🇪 ≈
Budget per capita $110 $58 🇸🇾 1.9×
Population 24.7M 40.6M 🇾🇪 1.6×
GDP $24B $22B 🇸🇾 1.1×
GDP per capita $957 $532 🇸🇾 1.8×
Land area 183,630 km² 527,968 km² 🇾🇪 2.9×
Coastline 193 km 1,906 km 🇾🇪 9.9×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇸🇾 SyriaMiG-23 Flogger ×87
🇾🇪 YemenMiG-29 Fulcrum ×23
Defense budget history Syria ×1.5 · Yemen ×2.0 since 1990
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Syria or Yemen?
Syria has approximately 269,000 active military personnel compared to Yemen's 20,000, giving Syria a 13:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Syria or Yemen?
Syria operates 225 combat aircraft compared to Yemen's 75. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Syria or Yemen?
Yemen has a larger navy with 29 vessels compared to Syria's 0 ships.
Which country spends more on defense, Syria or Yemen?
Syria has a larger defense budget at $2.5 billion compared to Yemen's $1.7 billion annually.
Do Syria and Yemen have nuclear weapons?
Neither Syria nor Yemen currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Syria and Yemen compare?
Syria operates 365 main battle tanks compared to Yemen's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.