As the war between Russia and Ukraine rages on, other countries have began to wonder whether or not they’ll be pulled into the fray — and how well they should prepare militarily. Ten years ago, the Netherlands sold all of its remaining tanks to Finland. But in 2024, the Netherlands shared plans to purchase 46 Leopard 2A8 tanks in what military officials say is a pathway to rebuilding a tank battallion — and managing the threat of Russian invasion. Of course, the Netherlands doesn’t seem to be under urgent threat. However, the country believes that Russia’s war-mongering could have longer-term effects on global dynamics. (Is Ukraine the next never-ending war?)
While many people see drones as the future of warfare, many countries rely on their tried-and-true defense tactics and equipment. Tanks have long been apart of military strategy and defense strength. Large global powers often hold large military fleets — but smaller countries are beginning to take notice, and build their tank capacity as well. To identify the rising powers with the most tanks, 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 tanks in their arsenal. We included supplemental information regarding the total military vehicles, artillery and MLRS units, as well as each country’s overall military strength score. We specifically reviewed countries that are considered “Powers on the Rise” meaning these are the countries that have gained the most military strength in the last year.
Why Are We Covering This?
As long as civilization has existed, the world has witnessed shifting power balances and alliances which have ultimately shaped the current geopolitical landscape. While key players like the United States, China, and Russia are easily the global powers, there are a number of emerging military powers that have their own spheres of influence and give shape to geopolitical relations in their own unique way. Understanding global military dynamics is incredibly important due to the interconnected nature of international relations and conflicts — and recognizing which powers have the military capabilities to grow lets us know who might be a greater part of conflicts in the future.
Here are the rising global powers with the largest tank armies:
28. Paraguay
- Total number of tanks: 10
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 28
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 0
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 1,936
- Active duty military personnel: 15,650
- Military strength score: 1.7053 – #85 out of 145
27. Portugal
.jpg "Portugal tank by Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum")
- Total number of tanks: 34
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 106
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 0
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 11,173
- Active duty military personnel: 24,000
- Military strength score: 0.5609 – #38 out of 145
26. Denmark
- Total number of tanks: 44
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 19
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 0
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 4,056
- Active duty military personnel: 20,000
- Military strength score: 0.7743 – #48 out of 145
25. Austria
.jpg "Austria Tanks by 7th Army Training Command")
- Total number of tanks: 58
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 53
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 0
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 848
- Active duty military personnel: 16,000
- Military strength score: 1.2351 – #71 out of 145
24. Czechia
- Total number of tanks: 65
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 53
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 0
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 6,757
- Active duty military personnel: 28,000
- Military strength score: 0.7706 – #46 out of 145
23. Croatia
- Total number of tanks: 75
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 181
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 105
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 3,076
- Active duty military personnel: 14,325
- Military strength score: 1.1333 – #66 out of 145
22. Qatar
- Total number of tanks: 99
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 58
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 16
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 5,544
- Active duty military personnel: 66,550
- Military strength score: 1.0789 – #63 out of 145
21. Sweden
- Total number of tanks: 120
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 26
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 0
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 7,958
- Active duty military personnel: 24,400
- Military strength score: 0.4009 – #29 out of 145
20. Switzerland
_Birmenstorf,_Switzerland_(Ank_Kumar,_Infosys_Limited)_04.jpg "Switzerland tank by Ank Kumar")
- Total number of tanks: 134
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 133
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 0
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 4,304
- Active duty military personnel: 101,584
- Military strength score: 0.6097 – #43 out of 145
19. Finland
- Total number of tanks: 200
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 792
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 76
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 11,716
- Active duty military personnel: 24,000
- Military strength score: 0.7967 – #50 out of 145
18. Georgia
- Total number of tanks: 235
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 267
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 82
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 5,256
- Active duty military personnel: 55,000
- Military strength score: 1.6969 – #84 out of 145
17. Serbia
- Total number of tanks: 262
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 162
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 82
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 3,954
- Active duty military personnel: 25,000
- Military strength score: 0.9038 – #56 out of 145
16. Germany
- Total number of tanks: 295
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 134
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 33
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 79,317
- Active duty military personnel: 181,600
- Military strength score: 0.2847 – #19 out of 145
15. Kazakhstan
- Total number of tanks: 300
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 696
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 407
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 6,012
- Active duty military personnel: 110,000
- Military strength score: 0.9495 – #58 out of 145
14. Libya
- Total number of tanks: 300
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 75
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 55
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 2,890
- Active duty military personnel: 32,000
- Military strength score: 1.4449 – #79 out of 145
13. Bangladesh
- Total number of tanks: 320
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 464
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 71
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 13,100
- Active duty military personnel: 163,000
- Military strength score: 0.5419 – #37 out of 145
12. Spain
- Total number of tanks: 327
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 236
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 0
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 15,046
- Active duty military personnel: 133,282
- Military strength score: 0.2882 – #20 out of 145
11. United Arab Emirates
- Total number of tanks: 354
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 282
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 162
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 12,253
- Active duty military personnel: 65,000
- Military strength score: 0.8083 – #51 out of 145
10. Kuwait
- Total number of tanks: 367
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 74
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 27
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 4,409
- Active duty military personnel: 72,000
- Military strength score: 1.4261 – #77 out of 145
9. Japan
- Total number of tanks: 518
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 653
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 54
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 37,662
- Active duty military personnel: 247,150
- Military strength score: 0.1601 – #7 out of 145
8. Poland
- Total number of tanks: 612
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 525
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 211
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 13,956
- Active duty military personnel: 202,100
- Military strength score: 0.2917 – #21 out of 145
7. Myanmar
- Total number of tanks: 705
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 2,083
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 586
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 8,139
- Active duty military personnel: 150,000
- Military strength score: 0.5251 – #35 out of 145
6. Jordan
- Total number of tanks: 1,365
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 283
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 88
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 24,148
- Active duty military personnel: 100,500
- Military strength score: 1.4651 – #80 out of 145
5. Israel
- Total number of tanks: 1,370
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 950
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 150
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 43,407
- Active duty military personnel: 170,000
- Military strength score: 0.2596 – #17 out of 145
4. Iran
- Total number of tanks: 1,996
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 2,630
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 775
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 65,765
- Active duty military personnel: 610,000
- Military strength score: 0.2269 – #14 out of 145
3. Turkey
- Total number of tanks: 2,231
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 2,785
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 286
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 55,104
- Active duty military personnel: 355,200
- Military strength score: 0.1697 – #8 out of 145
2. South Korea
- Total number of tanks: 2,501
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 8,052
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 581
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 66,492
- Active duty military personnel: 600,000
- Military strength score: 0.1416 – #5 out of 145
1. Syria
- Total number of tanks: 2,720
- Total count of artillery (self propelled and towed): 2,695
- Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 614
- Total military vehicles currently in active service: 14,550
- Active duty military personnel: 170,000
- Military strength score: 1.0026 – #60 out of 145
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