Military

This Country Flies the Most MiG Fighter Jets, and It's Not Even Close

India+MiG | Mikoyan MiG-29 (Russian: Микоян МиГ-29; NATO reporting name: "Fulcrum") low level pass, Polish Air Force
Robert Sullivan / Public Domain / Flickr

The Mikoyan-Gurevich (MiG) series stands as one of the most iconic fighter jets in the world. These were popular among Soviet bloc countries during the Cold War, but since the fall of the Soviet Union some nations still maintain sizable forces of these fighter jets. (These are the most widely-used fighter jets in the world.)

Here 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look into these countries that still fly MiGs. To identify the countries with the most MiG fighter jets, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2024 World Air Forces report from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry publication. We ranked these countries according to the number of MiGs currently in service. We included supplemental information from GlobalFirePower regarding each country’s current air force and overall military strength ranking. We excluded countries that are not in the process of ordering combat aircraft.

The MiG series was first developed in the early 1940s by Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich. These were designed to fulfill a variety of roles including interception and ground attack. The MiG-15 debuted in 1947 and marked a significant breakthrough with its swept wings and armament. Later models like the MiG-17 and MiG-19 built on this technology, leading up to the MiG-21. This jet was renowned for its agility and speed, and is arguably the most produced supersonic jet aircraft ever.

Here is a look at the countries with the most MiG fighter jets:

Why Are We Covering This?

Laski Collection / Getty Images

MiG fighter jets have been an important component of military aviation for decades, primarily due to their blend of advanced technology, cost-effectiveness, and versatile capabilities. Originating in the Soviet era, MiGs were developed to challenge Western air superiority and offer a reliable, high-performance fighter jet option for the Soviet Union. Over time, their importance grew as they became a staple in numerous air forces around the world, particularly in developing nations that needed effective and affordable military equipment.

32. Democratic Republic of Congo

Rob Schleiffert from Holland, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
  • Active MiG aircraft: 2
  • Variants: MiG-23
  • Total military aircraft: 46
  • Military strength score: 1.2491 – #73 out of 145

31. Mongolia

MiG-23+Flogger | MIG-23 Flogger
ronmacphotos / Flickr
  • Active MiG aircraft: 2
  • Variants: MiG-29
  • Total military aircraft: 11
  • Military strength score: 2.1079 – #105 out of 145

30. Zimbabwe

Romania+military+aircraft | Pride of the sky
sagesolar / Flickr
  • Active MiG aircraft: 3
  • Variants: MiG-23
  • Total military aircraft: 90
  • Military strength score: 2.0352 – #101 out of 145

29. Uganda

MiG-29K+Fulcrum-D | Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29K ‘RF-92324 / 48 blue’
ajw1970 / Flickr
  • Active MiG aircraft: 5
  • Variants: MiG-21
  • Total military aircraft: 55
  • Military strength score: 2.2405 – #114 out of 145

28. Bangladesh

  • Active MiG aircraft: 8
  • Variants: MiG-29
  • Total military aircraft: 216
  • Military strength score: 0.5419 – #37 out of 145

27. Mozambique

Artem Katranzhi / Wikimedia Commons
  • Active MiG aircraft: 8
  • Variants: MiG-21
  • Total military aircraft: 21
  • Military strength score: 1.8377 – #92 out of 145

26. Peru

Vitaly Kuzmin / Wikimedia Commons
  • Active MiG aircraft: 8
  • Variants: MiG-29
  • Total military aircraft: 258
  • Military strength score: 0.8475 – #53 out of 145

25. Ethiopia

Milous / iStock via Getty Images
  • Active MiG aircraft: 9
  • Variants: MiG-23
  • Total military aircraft: 91
  • Military strength score: 0.7938 – #49 out of 145

24. Mali

VanderWolf-Images / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Active MiG aircraft: 9
  • Variants: MiG-21
  • Total military aircraft: 42
  • Military strength score: 2.1115 – #106 out of 145

23. Croatia

  • Active MiG aircraft: 11
  • Variants: MiG-21
  • Total military aircraft: 81
  • Military strength score: 1.1333 – #66 out of 145

22. Bulgaria

Daniele Faccioli/Stocktrek Images / Stocktrek Images via Getty Images
  • Active MiG aircraft: 13
  • Variants: MiG-29
  • Total military aircraft: 65
  • Military strength score: 1.0132 – #62 out of 145

21. Serbia

Jozsef Soos / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Active MiG aircraft: 14
  • Variants: MiG-29
  • Total military aircraft: 112
  • Military strength score: 0.9038 – #56 out of 145

20. Azerbaijan

ajw1970 / Flickr
  • Active MiG aircraft: 15
  • Variants: MiG-29
  • Total military aircraft: 144
  • Military strength score: 0.9934 – #59 out of 145

19. Libya

Artyom_Anikeev / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Active MiG aircraft: 18
  • Variants: MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-25
  • Total military aircraft: 132
  • Military strength score: 1.4449 – #79 out of 145

18. Sudan

powerline1 / iStock via Getty Images
  • Active MiG aircraft: 18
  • Variants: MiG-29
  • Total military aircraft: 170
  • Military strength score: 1.4119 – #76 out of 145

17. Iran

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Active MiG aircraft: 24
  • Variants: MiG-29
  • Total military aircraft: 551
  • Military strength score: 0.2269 – #14 out of 145

16. Turkmenistan

VanderWolf-Images / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Active MiG aircraft: 24
  • Variants: MiG-29
  • Total military aircraft: 90
  • Military strength score: 1.4906 – #83 out of 145

15. Poland

  • Active MiG aircraft: 29
  • Variants: MiG-29
  • Total military aircraft: 468
  • Military strength score: 0.2917 – #21 out of 145

14. Belarus

vlsergey / Flickr
  • Active MiG aircraft: 33
  • Variants: MiG-29
  • Total military aircraft: 183
  • Military strength score: 1.0901 – #64 out of 145

13. Myanmar

MiG-27+Flogger | Mig-27 Flogger
ronmacphotos / Flickr
  • Active MiG aircraft: 33
  • Variants: MiG-29
  • Total military aircraft: 293
  • Military strength score: 0.5251 – #35 out of 145

12. Uzbekistan

clemensv / Flickr
  • Active MiG aircraft: 38
  • Variants: MiG-29
  • Total military aircraft: 191
  • Military strength score: 1.1069 – #65 out of 145

11. Algeria

sdasmarchives / Flickr/https://www.flickr.com/commons/usage/
  • Active MiG aircraft: 40
  • Variants: MiG-29
  • Total military aircraft: 605
  • Military strength score: 0.3589 – #26 out of 145

10. Yemen

sdasmarchives / Flickr
  • Active MiG aircraft: 42
  • Variants: MiG-29
  • Total military aircraft: 177
  • Military strength score: 1.4692 – #81 out of 145

9. Egypt

levien66 / Flickr
  • Active MiG aircraft: 43
  • Variants: MiG-29
  • Total military aircraft: 1,080
  • Military strength score: 0.2283 – #15 out of 145

8. Angola

MiG-15 | MiG-15
slezo / Flickr
  • Active MiG aircraft: 45
  • Variants: MiG-21, MiG-23
  • Total military aircraft: 297
  • Military strength score: 0.8702 – #55 out of 145

7. Cuba

MiG-19+Farmer | 0409 MIG 19 FARMER MARCH FIELD MUSEUM RIV AIRPORT
airlines470 / Flickr
  • Active MiG aircraft: 46
  • Variants: MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-29
  • Total military aircraft: 81
  • Military strength score: 1.1869 – #68 out of 145

6. Ukraine

MiG-5 | Mikoyan-Gurevich DIS MiG-5, Great Patriotic War Museum, Kiev
andrewmilligansumo / Flickr
  • Active MiG aircraft: 55
  • Variants: MiG-29
  • Total military aircraft: 321
  • Military strength score: 0.2598 – #18 out of 145

5. Kazakhstan

my_public_domain_photos / Flickr
  • Active MiG aircraft: 58
  • Variants: MiG-23, MiG-27, MiG-29, MiG-31
  • Total military aircraft: 243
  • Military strength score: 0.9495 – #58 out of 145

4. North Korea

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Active MiG aircraft: 121
  • Variants: MiG-15, MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-29
  • Total military aircraft: 951
  • Military strength score: 0.5313 – #36 out of 145

3. Syria

sndr / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Active MiG aircraft: 168
  • Variants: MiG-25, MiG-29
  • Total military aircraft: 452
  • Military strength score: 1.0026 – #60 out of 145

2. India

Robert Sullivan / Public Domain / Flickr
  • Active MiG aircraft: 247
  • Variants: MiG-21
  • Total military aircraft: 2,296
  • Military strength score: 0.1023 – #4 out of 145

1. Russia

Robert Sullivan / Public Domain / Flickr
  • Active MiG aircraft: 403
  • Variants: MiG-29, MiG-31, MiG-35
  • Total military aircraft: 4,255
  • Military strength score: 0.0702 – #2 out of 145

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