South Africa’s military strength vs the world in 2023
Military website Global Firepower has published its military strength ranking for 2023 featuring 145 countries, with the ranking utilising more than 60 different factors to determine a given nation’s PowerIndex.
The Global Firepower PowerIndex is calculated by focusing on weapon diversity rather than the total number of weapons available to any country to provide a better balance of firepower.
The formula also allows smaller, more technologically-advanced nations to compete with larger, lesser-developed powers, and special modifiers – in the form of bonuses and penalties – are applied to further refine the list, which is compiled annually.
One such special modifier is a nation’s access to nuclear weapons, and while they are not recognised directly, these nations receive an indirect score bonus.
However, some categories directly influencing the rankings include geographical factors, logistical flexibility, natural resources and local industry – among others.
In the 2023 ranking, the most powerful military forces have not changed significantly, with the United States still ranked as having the world’s strongest military power.
The only changes among the top 10 are the United Kingdom (UK) moving up three places, while Japan dropped three spots.
The UK now ranks as the 5th strongest military power from 8th in 2022, while Japan dropped to 8th place from 5th place in 2022.
Italy also moved up one place to 10th in 2023, pushing Brazil out of the top 10 to 12th position after Turkey, which moved up two places to 11th.
The US, with a $762 billion military budget, is bigger than the remaining top 10 combined ($698 billion). While the US doesn’t have the largest front line or the largest fleet of tanks, its massive military budget puts it far ahead.
Top 10 military spenders (Defence Budget)
- US: $762 billion
- China: $230 billion
- Russia: $83 billion
- India: $54 billion
- Germany: $52 billion
- Australia: $52 billion
- UK: $50 billion
- Saudi Arabia: $46 billion
- France: $45 billion
- South Korea: $42 billion
The USA has the largest air force among the top 10 global military powers, China has the most troops and naval vessels, and Russia has the most tanks – twice as many as the USA.
Note: Some vehicles can fall under multiple classifications.
| # | Country | Active Frontline | Reserve | Combat tanks | Air Force | Naval Vessels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US | 1 390 000 | 442 000 | 5 500 | 13 300 | 484 |
| 2 | Russia | 830 900 | 250 000 | 12 566 | 4 182 | 598 |
| 3 | China | 2 000 000 | 510 000 | 4 950 | 3 284 | 730 |
| 4 | India | 1 450 000 | 1 155 000 | 4 614 | 2 210 | 295 |
| 5 | United Kingdom | 194 000 | 37 000 | 227 | 663 | 73 |
| 6 | South Korea | 555 000 | 500 000 | 2 331 | 1 602 | 157 |
| 7 | Pakistan | 654 000 | 550 000 | 3 742 | 1 413 | 114 |
| 8 | Japan | 240 000 | 55 000 | 1 004 | 1 451 | 155 |
| 9 | France | 205 000 | 35 000 | 222 | 1 004 | 126 |
| 10 | Italy | 170 000 | 20 000 | 197 | 850 | 313 |
| 33 | South Africa | 40 200 | 12 500 | 195 | 226 | 47 |
South Africa
South Africa is ranked as having the 33rd greatest military strength globally – down from 26th in 2022. The country ranks as the 3rd strongest military force in Africa, dropping from 1st in 2022 and is behind Egypt (1st) and Algeria (2nd) on the African continent.
According to the ranking, South Africa has 40,200 active and 12,500 reserve personnel.
It also estimates that the country has around 14,264,133 citizens who would be fit for service should it enforce conscription laws.
Notably, South Africa stands out for its land power but has fallen behind other nations in recent years regarding air and naval power. The defence budget is estimated at $2.8 billion.
Air power
South Africa has a total aircraft strength of 226 assets.
This includes:
- 17 fighter aircraft
- 7 special mission aircraft
- 23 transport aircraft
- 88 trainer aircraft
- 91 total helicopters (of which 12 are attack helicopters)
Army/Land power
South Africa has a total land strength of 2,935 assets.
This includes:
- 195 combat tanks
- 34,540 armoured fighting vehicles
- 49 self-propelled artillery
- 82 towed artillery
- 101 rocket projectors
Naval power
South Africa has a total naval strength of 47 assets.
Notably, the country currently has no aircraft carriers, destroyers or corvette-class vehicles.
This includes:
- 4 frigates
- 3 submarines
- 31 patrol craft
- 2 mine warfare vessels
- 6 unspecified
Read: Parliament descends on Eskom
