The Strongest Militaries in Africa

Special Report

Published: March 12, 2024 10:50 am

The African continent has been subject to war and upheaval for much of the last century and it currently comes in second for ongoing armed non-international conflicts per region. Governments and militaries are constantly warring on the continent, ultimately displacing roughly 40 million people. In the pursuit of power, and perhaps stability, African countries have been building up their militaries in recent years with the help of foreign powers. (These are the countries with the most military expenditures.)

While parts of Africa remain hotspots, some of the more prominent nations have ensured stable rule through military power. Accordingly, countries like Egypt have reduced conflict within their own borders by having a sizable military force. Here, 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at African militaries to see which one is the most powerful.

To determine the countries with the strongest military might in Africa, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed 2024 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Global Firepower ranked 145 countries based on their PowerIndex, a composite of over 60 measures in categories such as military might, financials, logistical capability, and geography. The smaller the PowerIndex value the more powerful a nation’s theoretical conventional fighting capability is. We included supplemental information regarding active military personnel, military aircraft, vehicles, and naval power as well.

Egypt currently ranks as the strongest military power on the African continent due to its Western ties, with much of this power coming from its military aircraft. It also ranks fairly high in terms of active personnel and military vehicles. Algeria is another nation that finds itself in a strong position as well. Although it does not have nearly as many military aircraft as Egypt, it has a sizable navy at its disposal.

Compared to the rest of the world only a few African nations are in the top echelon of global military powers. Much of this is due to the fact that many of these countries have underdeveloped air forces. However, they make up for this with troops on the ground and military vehicles. (These are the most powerful militaries in the world.)

Here is a look at the strongest militaries in Africa:

38. Somalia

Military strength score: 3.9006
Active military personnel: 15,000
Total military aircraft: 0
Total military vehicles: 1,856
Total navy ships and submarines: 11

37. Benin

Army partners with Republic of... by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa

Army partners with Republic of... (CC BY 2.0) by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa

Military strength score: 3.8912
Active military personnel: 4,750
Total military aircraft: 3
Total military vehicles: 150
Total navy ships and submarines: 7

36. Liberia

Military strength score: 3.7262
Active military personnel: 1,500
Total military aircraft: 0
Total military vehicles: 325
Total navy ships and submarines: 6

35. Sierra Leone

Military strength score: 3.5433
Active military personnel: 13,000
Total military aircraft: 4
Total military vehicles: 100
Total navy ships and submarines: 10

34. Central African Republic

Military strength score: 3.5316
Active military personnel: 10,000
Total military aircraft: 6
Total military vehicles: 228
Total navy ships and submarines: 0

33. Madagascar

Military strength score: 3.0655
Active military personnel: 13,500
Total military aircraft: 5
Total military vehicles: 232
Total navy ships and submarines: 8

32. Gabon

Military strength score: 2.9517
Active military personnel: 4,800
Total military aircraft: 24
Total military vehicles: 848
Total navy ships and submarines: 5

31. Mauritania

Military strength score: 2.9277
Active military personnel: 31,540
Total military aircraft: 24
Total military vehicles: 1,000
Total navy ships and submarines: 5

30. Senegal

Military strength score: 2.9117
Active military personnel: 17,000
Total military aircraft: 39
Total military vehicles: 1,104
Total navy ships and submarines: 4

29. Burkina Faso

Military strength score: 2.8501
Active military personnel: 12,000
Total military aircraft: 21
Total military vehicles: 1,112
Total navy ships and submarines: 0

28. Botswana

Military strength score: 2.8353
Active military personnel: 21,000
Total military aircraft: 46
Total military vehicles: 587
Total navy ships and submarines: 0

27. Namibia

Military strength score: 2.7652
Active military personnel: 13,000
Total military aircraft: 32
Total military vehicles: 2,674
Total navy ships and submarines: 8

26. Republic of the Congo

Military strength score: 2.7282
Active military personnel: 8,500
Total military aircraft: 14
Total military vehicles: 519
Total navy ships and submarines: 6

25. Niger

Military strength score: 2.5988
Active military personnel: 25,000
Total military aircraft: 24
Total military vehicles: 912
Total navy ships and submarines: 0

24. South Sudan

Military strength score: 2.4376
Active military personnel: 185,000
Total military aircraft: 16
Total military vehicles: 1,920
Total navy ships and submarines: 0

23. Eritrea

Military strength score: 2.4152
Active military personnel: 120,000
Total military aircraft: 20
Total military vehicles: 3,512
Total navy ships and submarines: 23

22. Uganda

Military strength score: 2.2405
Active military personnel: 45,000
Total military aircraft: 55
Total military vehicles: 3,162
Total navy ships and submarines: 0

21. Ghana

Ghana flag - Birmingham Counci... by Elliott Brown

Ghana flag - Birmingham Counci... (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Elliott Brown

Military strength score: 2.2358
Active military personnel: 15,500
Total military aircraft: 20
Total military vehicles: 1,656
Total navy ships and submarines: 27

20. Mali

Military strength score: 2.1115
Active military personnel: 40,000
Total military aircraft: 42
Total military vehicles: 647
Total navy ships and submarines: 0

19. Cameroon

Military strength score: 2.0599
Active military personnel: 40,000
Total military aircraft: 35
Total military vehicles: 850
Total navy ships and submarines: 65

18. Tanzania

Military strength score: 2.0587
Active military personnel: 27,000
Total military aircraft: 39
Total military vehicles: 712
Total navy ships and submarines: 12

17. Zimbabwe

Military strength score: 2.0352
Active military personnel: 29,000
Total military aircraft: 90
Total military vehicles: 2,412
Total navy ships and submarines: 0

16. Ivory Coast

Military strength score: 1.9869
Active military personnel: 22,000
Total military aircraft: 9
Total military vehicles: 476
Total navy ships and submarines: 7

15. Zambia

Military strength score: 1.9851
Active military personnel: 15,150
Total military aircraft: 99
Total military vehicles: 506
Total navy ships and submarines: 0

14. Chad

Military strength score: 1.8607
Active military personnel: 33,250
Total military aircraft: 41
Total military vehicles: 1,568
Total navy ships and submarines: 0

13. Mozambique

Military strength score: 1.8377
Active military personnel: 11,200
Total military aircraft: 21
Total military vehicles: 872
Total navy ships and submarines: 8

12. Kenya

Aberdare National Park, Kenya (CC BY 2.0) by Ninara

Military strength score: 1.7629
Active military personnel: 50,000
Total military aircraft: 158
Total military vehicles: 4,856
Total navy ships and submarines: 19

11. Libya

Military strength score: 1.4449
Active military personnel: 32,000
Total military aircraft: 132
Total military vehicles: 2,890
Total navy ships and submarines: 7

10. Sudan

Military strength score: 1.4119
Active military personnel: 92,000
Total military aircraft: 170
Total military vehicles: 3,648
Total navy ships and submarines: 12

9. Tunisia

Military strength score: 1.2881
Active military personnel: 89,800
Total military aircraft: 155
Total military vehicles: 6,400
Total navy ships and submarines: 52

8. Democratic Republic of Congo

Military strength score: 1.2491
Active military personnel: 166,580
Total military aircraft: 46
Total military vehicles: 458
Total navy ships and submarines: 16

7. Morocco

Military strength score: 1.0081
Active military personnel: 195,800
Total military aircraft: 255
Total military vehicles: 13,710
Total navy ships and submarines: 121

6. Angola

Military strength score: 0.8702
Active military personnel: 107,000
Total military aircraft: 297
Total military vehicles: 5,500
Total navy ships and submarines: 40

5. Ethiopia

Military strength score: 0.7938
Active military personnel: 162,000
Total military aircraft: 91
Total military vehicles: 10,028
Total navy ships and submarines: 0

4. Nigeria

$User:EngrgeneralG&action=edit&redlink=1","authorName":"EngrgeneralG","imgSrc":"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:2022_Army_DSSC_graduation.jpg"}"$

Military strength score: 0.5619
Active military personnel: 230,000
Total military aircraft: 147
Total military vehicles: 6,404
Total navy ships and submarines: 133

3. South Africa

Military strength score: 0.4632
Active military personnel: 71,235
Total military aircraft: 194
Total military vehicles: 12,140
Total navy ships and submarines: 47

2. Algeria

Military strength score: 0.3589
Active military personnel: 325,000
Total military aircraft: 605
Total military vehicles: 35,990
Total navy ships and submarines: 213

1. Egypt

Military strength score: 0.2283
Active military personnel: 440,000
Total military aircraft: 1,080
Total military vehicles: 77,596
Total navy ships and submarines: 140

Take This Retirement Quiz To Get Matched With An Advisor Now ^(Sponsored)

Are you ready for retirement? Planning for retirement can be overwhelming, that’s why it could be a good idea to speak to a fiduciary financial advisor about your goals today.

Start by taking this retirement quiz right here from SmartAsset that will match you with up to 3 financial advisors that serve your area and beyond in 5 minutes. Smart Asset is now matching over 50,000 people a month.

Click here now to get started.

Read more: Special Report, africa, aircraft, algeria, army, egypt, military, Navy, tank, Military

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.

Has Apple Sold 20 Million iPhone 15s?

5 Sizzling Cathie Wood ARK Investment Stocks Trade...

The State With The Highest Divorce Rate

These Americans Own the Most Guns: Every State Ranked