In terms of artillery firepower, or really big guns, Egypt leads the African continent by a longshot in raw artillery numbers. The North African nation boasts an arsenal of over 2,000 total units at the ready. What stands out even more is that over a quarter of that firepower is represented by multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), which are some of the most sophisticated military assets that any nation can possess. However, many other African nations have sizable stockpiles of artillery as well. Here, 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at the African nations that have the largest artillery armies.
To identify the African countries with the most artillery units, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2025 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 artillery units in their arsenal. We included supplemental information regarding the total military vehicles, tanks and MLRS units, as well as each country’s overall military strength score and defense budget. Countries with no artillery were excluded.
Here is a look at the countries with the largest artillery armies in Africa:
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.
30. Ivory Coast
- Total artillery: 2
- Total towed artillery: 2
- Total self-propelled artillery: 0
- Total tanks: 5
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 3
- Total military vehicles: 656
- Military defense budget: $669,600,935 – #99 out of 145
- Military strength score: 2.1796 – #102 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, the Ivory Coast has 19 military aircraft, most of which are. Ivory Coast has 22,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 29.98 million.
29. Ghana
- Total artillery: 6
- Total towed artillery: 6
- Total self-propelled artillery: 0
- Total tanks: 0
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 6
- Total military vehicles: 1,824
- Military defense budget: $308,500,000 – #122 out of 145
- Military strength score: 2.3775 – #110 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Ghana has 19 military aircraft, with a majority being helicopters. Ghana has 15,500 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 34.59 million.
28. Burkina Faso
- Total artillery: 8
- Total towed artillery: 8
- Total self-propelled artillery: 0
- Total tanks: 0
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 9
- Total military vehicles: 491
- Military defense budget: $81,280,000 – #142 out of 145
- Military strength score: 2.9734 – #129 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Burkina Faso has 25 military aircraft (including 3 attack aircraft and 18 helicopters). Burkina Faso has 12,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 23.04 million.
27. Madagascar
- Total artillery: 9
- Total towed artillery: 9
- Total self-propelled artillery: 0
- Total tanks: 6
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 0
- Total military vehicles: 158
- Military defense budget: $112,210,000 – #139 out of 145
- Military strength score: 3.0609 – #130 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Madagascar has 5 military aircraft, all of which are helicopters. Madagascar has 13,500 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 29.45 million.
26. Mali
- Total artillery: 10
- Total towed artillery: 10
- Total self-propelled artillery: 0
- Total tanks: 10
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 20
- Total military vehicles: 570
- Military defense budget: $650,386,000 – #100 out of 145
- Military strength score: 2.2379 – #104 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Mali has 43 military aircraft (including 12 attack aircraft, 9 fighter aircraft, and 10 helicopters). Mali has 40,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 21.99 million.
25. Benin
- Total artillery: 16
- Total towed artillery: 16
- Total self-propelled artillery: 0
- Total tanks: 0
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 0
- Total military vehicles: 92
- Military defense budget: $98,350,000 – #140 out of 145
- Military strength score: 4.3156 – #143 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Benin has 5 military aircraft, all of which are helicopters. Benin has 4,750 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 14.70 million.
24. Chad
- Total artillery: 20
- Total towed artillery: 10
- Total self-propelled artillery: 10
- Total tanks: 90
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 20
- Total military vehicles: 3,316
- Military defense budget: $381,350,000 – #115 out of 145
- Military strength score: 1.8712 – #84 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Chad has 40 military aircraft (including 7 attack aircraft and 16 helicopters). Chad has 33,250 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 19.09 million.
23. Senegal
- Total artillery: 20
- Total towed artillery: 20
- Total self-propelled artillery: 0
- Total tanks: 0
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 6
- Total military vehicles: 1,740
- Military defense budget: $465,150,000 – #107 out of 145
- Military strength score: 2.8116 – #125 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Senegal has 40 military aircraft (including 20 helicopters). Senegal has 17,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 18.85 million.
22. South Sudan
- Total artillery: 24
- Total towed artillery: 0
- Total self-propelled artillery: 24
- Total tanks: 30
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 15
- Total military vehicles: 1,950
- Military defense budget: $175,300,000 – #133 out of 145
- Military strength score: 2.4321 – #113 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, South Sudan has 20 military aircraft, most of which are helicopters. South Sudan has 185,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 12.70 million.
21. Namibia
- Total artillery: 25
- Total towed artillery: 25
- Total self-propelled artillery: 0
- Total tanks: 4
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 25
- Total military vehicles: 2,094
- Military defense budget: $370,500,000 – #116 out of 145
- Military strength score: 2.6384 – #116 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Namibia has 34 military aircraft (including 11 fighter aircraft and 7 helicopters). Namibia has 13,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 2.804 million.
20. Uganda
- Total artillery: 32
- Total towed artillery: 26
- Total self-propelled artillery: 6
- Total tanks: 259
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 12
- Total military vehicles: 3,862
- Military defense budget: $985,400,000 – #88 out of 145
- Military strength score: 2.4767 – #114 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Uganda has 51 military aircraft (including 6 fighter aircraft and 30 helicopters). Uganda has 45,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 49.28 million.
19. Republic of the Congo
- Total artillery: 40
- Total towed artillery: 38
- Total self-propelled artillery: 2
- Total tanks: 30
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 30
- Total military vehicles: 644
- Military defense budget: $306,400,000 – #123 out of 145
- Military strength score: 2.7282 – #121 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, the Republic of the Congo has 13 military aircraft (including 2 fighter aircraft and 7 helicopters). The Republic of the Congo has 8,500 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 6.098 million.
18. Zambia
- Total artillery: 42
- Total towed artillery: 30
- Total self-propelled artillery: 12
- Total tanks: 35
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 25
- Total military vehicles: 424
- Military defense budget: $394,240,000 – #113 out of 145
- Military strength score: 2.3411 – #109 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Zambia has 77 military aircraft (including 32 helicopters). Zambia has 15,150 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 20.80 million.
17. Libya
- Total artillery: 43
- Total towed artillery: 28
- Total self-propelled artillery: 15
- Total tanks: 43
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 25
- Total military vehicles: 1,816
- Military defense budget: $3,060,000,000 – #60 out of 145
- Military strength score: 1.4449 – #73 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Libya has 143 military aircraft (including 1 attack aircraft, 10 fighter aircraft, and 16 helicopters). Libya has 32,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 7.361 million.
16. Botswana
- Total artillery: 48
- Total towed artillery: 36
- Total self-propelled artillery: 12
- Total tanks: 45
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 20
- Total military vehicles: 1,224
- Military defense budget: $465,600,000 – #106 out of 145
- Military strength score: 2.7509 – #122 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Botswana has 45 military aircraft (including 11 fighter aircraft and 16 helicopters). Botswana has 21,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 2.451 million.
15. Mozambique
- Total artillery: 52
- Total towed artillery: 52
- Total self-propelled artillery: 0
- Total tanks: 30
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 6
- Total military vehicles: 872
- Military defense budget: $412,400,000 – #110 out of 145
- Military strength score: 1.9265 – #89 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Mozambique has 22 military aircraft (including 8 fighter aircraft and 8 helicopters). Mozambique has 11,200 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 33.35 million.
14. Democratic Republic of Congo
- Total artillery: 68
- Total towed artillery: 60
- Total self-propelled artillery: 8
- Total tanks: 105
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 25
- Total military vehicles: 916
- Military defense budget: $796,560,000 – #95 out of 145
- Military strength score: 1.3111 – #66 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, the Democratic Republic of Congo has 46 military aircraft (including 6 attack aircraft, 1 fighter aircraft, and 32 helicopters). The Democratic Republic of Congo has 166,580 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 115.40 million.
13. Cameroon
- Total artillery: 70
- Total towed artillery: 52
- Total self-propelled artillery: 18
- Total tanks: 0
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 20
- Total military vehicles: 430
- Military defense budget: $554,952,283 – #102 out of 145
- Military strength score: 2.0501 – #93 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Cameroon has 35 military aircraft (including 21 helicopters). Cameroon has 40,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 30.97 million.
12. Kenya
- Total artillery: 71
- Total towed artillery: 53
- Total self-propelled artillery: 18
- Total tanks: 188
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 0
- Total military vehicles: 4,128
- Military defense budget: $1,307,383,850 – #81 out of 145
- Military strength score: 1.8135 – #83 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Kenya has 156 military aircraft (including 17 fighter aircraft and 85 helicopters). Kenya has 50,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 58.25 million.
11. Mauritania
- Total artillery: 75
- Total towed artillery: 75
- Total self-propelled artillery: 0
- Total tanks: 25
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 0
- Total military vehicles: 628
- Military defense budget: $261,250,000 – #127 out of 145
- Military strength score: 2.7977 – #123 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Mauritania has 24 military aircraft (including 4 attack aircraft and 4 helicopters). Mauritania has 31,540 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 4.328 million.
10. Tunisia
- Total artillery: 85
- Total towed artillery: 85
- Total self-propelled artillery: 0
- Total tanks: 90
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 0
- Total military vehicles: 7,913
- Military defense budget: $1,400,000,000 – #79 out of 145
- Military strength score: 1.9538 – #90 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Tunisia has 154 military aircraft (including 10 fighter aircraft and 101 helicopters). Tunisia has 89,800 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 12.05 million.
9. Eritrea
- Total artillery: 98
- Total towed artillery: 75
- Total self-propelled artillery: 23
- Total tanks: 65
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 22
- Total military vehicles: 860
- Military defense budget: $198,000,000 – #132 out of 145
- Military strength score: 2.6985 – #120 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Eritrea has 20 military aircraft (including 1 fighter aircraft and 13 helicopters). Eritrea has 120,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 6.344 million.
8. South Africa
- Total artillery: 183
- Total towed artillery: 134
- Total self-propelled artillery: 49
- Total tanks: 252
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 101
- Total military vehicles: 18,692
- Military defense budget: $2,266,800,000 – #69 out of 145
- Military strength score: 0.6889 – #40 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, South Africa has 182 military aircraft (including 2 fighter aircraft and 87 helicopters). South Africa has 71,235 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 60.44 million.
7. Ethiopia
- Total artillery: 344
- Total towed artillery: 309
- Total self-propelled artillery: 35
- Total tanks: 338
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 40
- Total military vehicles: 7,256
- Military defense budget: $2,097,575,000 – #71 out of 145
- Military strength score: 0.9305 – #52 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Ethiopia has 103 military aircraft (including 25 fighter aircraft and 33 helicopters). Ethiopia has 162,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 118.55 million.
6. Nigeria
- Total artillery: 379
- Total towed artillery: 339
- Total self-propelled artillery: 40
- Total tanks: 330
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 37
- Total military vehicles: 8,962
- Military defense budget: $3,160,000,000 – #59 out of 145
- Military strength score: 0.5771 – #31 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Nigeria has 163 military aircraft (including 24 attack aircraft, 14 fighter aircraft, and 66 helicopters). Nigeria has 230,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 236.75 million.
5. Sudan
- Total artillery: 387
- Total towed artillery: 287
- Total self-propelled artillery: 100
- Total tanks: 224
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 192
- Total military vehicles: 2,900
- Military defense budget: $342,000,000 – #118 out of 145
- Military strength score: 1.4756 – #74 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Sudan has 165 military aircraft (including 27 attack aircraft, 37 fighter aircraft, and 64 helicopters). Sudan has 92,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 50.47 million.
4. Morocco
- Total artillery: 549
- Total towed artillery: 153
- Total self-propelled artillery: 396
- Total tanks: 903
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 129
- Total military vehicles: 7,877
- Military defense budget: $13,400,000,000 – #27 out of 145
- Military strength score: 1.1273 – #59 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Morocco has 260 military aircraft (including 83 fighter aircraft and 78 helicopters). Morocco has 195,800 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 37.39 million.
3. Angola
- Total artillery: 600
- Total towed artillery: 575
- Total self-propelled artillery: 25
- Total tanks: 309
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 113
- Total military vehicles: 5,500
- Military defense budget: $1,101,360,000 – #85 out of 145
- Military strength score: 1.0961 – #56 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Angola has 298 military aircraft (including 12 attack aircraft, 71 fighter aircraft, and 116 helicopters). Angola has 107,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 37.20 million.
2. Algeria
- Total artillery: 707
- Total towed artillery: 483
- Total self-propelled artillery: 224
- Total tanks: 1,485
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 266
- Total military vehicles: 26,000
- Military defense budget: $25,000,000,000 – #21 out of 145
- Military strength score: 0.3589 – #20 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Algeria has 608 military aircraft (including 42 attack aircraft, 102 fighter aircraft, and 299 helicopters). Algeria has 325,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 47.02 million.
1. Egypt
- Total artillery: 2,018
- Total towed artillery: 962
- Total self-propelled artillery: 1,056
- Total tanks: 3,620
- Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 528
- Total military vehicles: 41,012
- Military defense budget: $5,879,500,000 – #46 out of 145
- Military strength score: 0.3427 – #19 out of 145
Separate from the ground forces, Egypt has 1,093 military aircraft (including 90 attack aircraft, 238 fighter aircraft, and 348 helicopters). Egypt has 440,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 111.25 million.
Top Gaining Stocks
Top Losing Stocks