Military
Egypt and Algeria Lead Africa in Armored Vehicle Strength
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24/7 Wall St. Insights:
- Egypt and Algeria have some of the strongest militaries on the African continent
- Egypt is home to one of the largest armored forces in the world, surpassing a number of NATO countries in just tank numbers alone
- Algeria rivals Egypt in terms of armored forces as a result of its strategic military partnership with Russia
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Egypt and Algeria stand as the leading military powers in Africa, particularly when it comes to armored vehicle strength. Both countries have invested heavily in tanks, artillery, and armored personnel carriers in general. Considering this and the investment in their air forces and navies, these two militaries are some of the most powerful on the continent.
Egypt is home to one of the largest armored forces in the world, surpassing a number of NATO countries in just tank numbers alone. However, this also extends to its military vehicles in general. (These are the 30 most mass-produced tanks since WWII ended.)
One of the main components of Egypt’s armored force is the M1 Abrams main battle tank. There are over 1,000 of these units under Egypt’s command. In addition to the Abrams, Egypt’s armored forces also include older models like the Soviet-era T-62 and T-55 tanks. Further complementing these, Egypt boasts a number of towed and self-propelled artillery, outside of basic military vehicles.
Algeria rivals Egypt in terms of armored forces as a result of its strategic military partnership with Russia. While Egypt may have favorable relations with the U.S., Algeria’s relations with Russia have proven fruitful too. (Which countries support Russia in the conflict with Ukraine.)
The Algerian army fields over 500 T-90SA tanks, which are some of the most advanced tanks in the world, according to Russian President Vladmir Putin. Algeria also has a number of T-72 tanks, complementing its fleet of armored personnel carriers. At the same time, Algeria has a number of artillery systems, such as the BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher.
Both of these countries are at the top of their game in terms of armored vehicles. Some other nations on the African continent have formidable forces, while others do not measure up.
24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at the arsenals of African nations. To identify the African countries with the most military vehicles, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed 2024 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Countries were ranked on the total number of vehicles in their arsenal. We included supplemental information regarding the total tanks, artillery and MLRS units, as well as each country’s overall military strength score.
Here is a look at the African countries with the most military vehicles:
Why Are We Covering This?
Understanding the military dynamics of Africa is important due to the continent’s strategic geopolitical significance. The continent is known for some instability, and military power is one way of ensuring stability both political and economical. Many of these African nations are growing rapidly and the continued stability of this region is crucial.
38. Sierra Leone
- Total military vehicles: 100
- Total tanks: 0
- Total artillery: 0
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score and world rank: 3.5433 – #138 out of 145
37. Benin
- Total military vehicles: 150
- Total tanks: 0
- Total artillery: 0
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score and world rank: 3.8912 – #141 out of 145
36. Central African Republic
- Total military vehicles: 228
- Total tanks: 0
- Total artillery: 0
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score and world rank: 3.5316 – #137 out of 145
35. Madagascar
- Total military vehicles: 232
- Total tanks: 12
- Total artillery: 0
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score and world rank: 3.0655 – #133 out of 145
34. Liberia
- Total military vehicles: 325
- Total tanks: 0
- Total artillery: 0
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score and world rank: 3.7262 – #140 out of 145
33. Democratic Republic of Congo
- Total military vehicles: 458
- Total tanks: 210
- Total artillery: 135
- Total MLRS: 50
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.2491 – #73 out of 145
32. Ivory Coast
- Total military vehicles: 476
- Total tanks: 10
- Total artillery: 4
- Total MLRS: 6
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.9869 – #98 out of 145
31. Zambia
- Total military vehicles: 506
- Total tanks: 38
- Total artillery: 46
- Total MLRS: 35
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.9851 – #97 out of 145
30. Republic of the Congo
- Total military vehicles: 519
- Total tanks: 32
- Total artillery: 37
- Total MLRS: 72
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.7282 – #122 out of 145
29. Botswana
- Total military vehicles: 587
- Total tanks: 20
- Total artillery: 48
- Total MLRS: 20
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.8353 – #126 out of 145
28. Mali
- Total military vehicles: 647
- Total tanks: 20
- Total artillery: 10
- Total MLRS: 25
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.1115 – #106 out of 145
27. Tanzania
- Total military vehicles: 712
- Total tanks: 21
- Total artillery: 0
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.0587 – #103 out of 145
26. Gabon
- Total military vehicles: 848
- Total tanks: 0
- Total artillery: 4
- Total MLRS: 28
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.9517 – #132 out of 145
25. Cameroon
- Total military vehicles: 850
- Total tanks: 0
- Total artillery: 70
- Total MLRS: 20
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.0599 – #104 out of 145
24. Mozambique
- Total military vehicles: 872
- Total tanks: 60
- Total artillery: 104
- Total MLRS: 12
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.8377 – #92 out of 145
23. Niger
110923 Sahel states appeal for counter-terror assistance | u0628u0644u062fu0627u0646 u0627u0644u0633u0627u062du0644 u062au0637u0644u0628 u0627u0644u0645u0633u0627u0639u062fu0629 u0644u0645u0648u0627u062cu0647u0629 u0627u0644u0625u0631u0647u0627u0628 | Les Etats du Sahel demandent une assistance dans la lutte contre le terrorisme (BY 2.0) by Magharebia
- Total military vehicles: 912
- Total tanks: 0
- Total artillery: 0
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.5988 – #121 out of 145
22. Mauritania
- Total military vehicles: 1,000
- Total tanks: 0
- Total artillery: 0
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.9277 – #131 out of 145
21. Senegal
- Total military vehicles: 1,104
- Total tanks: 0
- Total artillery: 20
- Total MLRS: 6
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.9117 – #130 out of 145
20. Burkina Faso
- Total military vehicles: 1,112
- Total tanks: 0
- Total artillery: 12
- Total MLRS: 5
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.8501 – #127 out of 145
19. Chad
- Total military vehicles: 1,568
- Total tanks: 90
- Total artillery: 25
- Total MLRS: 21
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.8607 – #93 out of 145
18. Ghana
- Total military vehicles: 1,656
- Total tanks: 0
- Total artillery: 6
- Total MLRS: 15
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.2358 – #113 out of 145
17. Somalia
- Total military vehicles: 1,856
- Total tanks: 0
- Total artillery: 0
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score and world rank: 3.9006 – #142 out of 145
16. South Sudan
- Total military vehicles: 1,920
- Total tanks: 55
- Total artillery: 20
- Total MLRS: 10
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.4376 – #119 out of 145
15. Zimbabwe
- Total military vehicles: 2,412
- Total tanks: 20
- Total artillery: 0
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.0352 – #101 out of 145
14. Namibia
- Total military vehicles: 2,674
- Total tanks: 7
- Total artillery: 50
- Total MLRS: 7
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.7652 – #124 out of 145
13. Libya
- Total military vehicles: 2,890
- Total tanks: 300
- Total artillery: 75
- Total MLRS: 55
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.4449 – #79 out of 145
12. Uganda
- Total military vehicles: 3,162
- Total tanks: 130
- Total artillery: 32
- Total MLRS: 12
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.2405 – #114 out of 145
11. Eritrea
- Total military vehicles: 3,512
- Total tanks: 1,756
- Total artillery: 210
- Total MLRS: 219
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.4152 – #117 out of 145
10. Sudan
- Total military vehicles: 3,648
- Total tanks: 233
- Total artillery: 200
- Total MLRS: 343
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.4119 – #76 out of 145
9. Kenya
- Total military vehicles: 4,856
- Total tanks: 188
- Total artillery: 71
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.7629 – #89 out of 145
8. Angola
- Total military vehicles: 5,500
- Total tanks: 310
- Total artillery: 580
- Total MLRS: 123
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.8702 – #55 out of 145
7. Tunisia
- Total military vehicles: 6,400
- Total tanks: 140
- Total artillery: 108
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.2881 – #74 out of 145
6. Nigeria
- Total military vehicles: 6,404
- Total tanks: 343
- Total artillery: 371
- Total MLRS: 37
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.5619 – #39 out of 145
5. Ethiopia
- Total military vehicles: 10,028
- Total tanks: 680
- Total artillery: 713
- Total MLRS: 79
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.7938 – #49 out of 145
4. South Africa
- Total military vehicles: 12,140
- Total tanks: 195
- Total artillery: 153
- Total MLRS: 101
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.4632 – #33 out of 145
3. Morocco
![4th Tank Battalion trains with Moroccan counterparts during African Lion 2011 [Image 1 of 8] by DVIDSHUB](https://live.staticflickr.com/2530/5781686655_9054346225_b.jpg "4th Tank Battalion trains with Moroccan counterparts during African Lion 2011 [Image 1 of 8] by DVIDSHUB")
- Total military vehicles: 13,710
- Total tanks: 1,564
- Total artillery: 871
- Total MLRS: 208
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.0081 – #61 out of 145
2. Algeria
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- Total military vehicles: 35,990
- Total tanks: 1,632
- Total artillery: 707
- Total MLRS: 236
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.3589 – #26 out of 145
1. Egypt
- Total military vehicles: 77,596
- Total tanks: 5,340
- Total artillery: 3,046
- Total MLRS: 1,119
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.2283 – #15 out of 145
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