These Countries Might Have Small Economies, But They Have Surprisingly Powerful Militaries

Special Report

Netherlands+F-35 | Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II

Published: March 17, 2025 6:00 am

24/7 Wall St. Insights

According to the Global Firepower index, the 14 most powerful militaries are all in countries with at least 50 million residents.
Some smaller countries, however, have developed fighting capabilities on par with the world’s largest nations.
Many of these small but mighty countries are actively engaged in regional conflict, while others are standing armies.
Also: Discover the next Nvidia

While the conventional view is that the world’s superpowers shape global military conflict, many smaller nations maintain standing militias of substantial size and strength. The structure of small armies has become an increasingly important topic in geopolitics as events like the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Chinese military buildup in the South China Sea have escalated the need for small state defense.

Every year, Global Firepower ranks countries based on military might. While the 14 most powerful militaries are in countries classified as very large by the World Bank with over 50 million residents, several smaller countries have developed fighting capabilities on par with the world’s largest, wealthiest nations. Some of these small but mighty countries are actively engaged in regional conflicts, while others are standing armies that have not seen war in the 21st century.

To determine the small countries with the most disproportionately powerful militaries, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on population and military strength from the World Bank and Global Firepower. Countries categorized as medium-sized, small, or very small by the World Bank – a population threshold of about 11 million – were ranked based on the 2024 Global Firepower PowerIndex score. The Global Firepower PowerIndex is a comprehensive index utilizing over 60 individual factors – such as armed forces personnel, aircraft fleet, tank strength, frigate count, defense budget, and natural resources – that ranks 145 world powers in military fighting capability. The lower the index score, the more powerful the military. Supplemental data on armed forces personnel, armed forces personnel as a percentage of the labor force, military expenditure, military expenditure as a percentage of GDP, and total population are from the World Bank. All data are for the most recent period available.

40. Tajikistan

Global Firepower Ranking index: 2.3049
Armed forces personnel: 17,000 (0.7% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $139.5 million (1.2% of GDP)
Total population: 10.4 million

39. Estonia

Global Firepower Ranking index: 2.2917
Armed forces personnel: 7,000 (1.0% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $1.2 billion (2.9% of GDP)
Total population: 1.4 million

38. Laos

Global Firepower Ranking index: 2.2663
Armed forces personnel: 129,000 (4.1% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $22.7 million (0.2% of GDP)
Total population: 7.7 million

37. Kyrgyzstan

Global Firepower Ranking index: 2.2543
Armed forces personnel: 21,000 (0.7% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $464.6 million (3.6% of GDP)
Total population: 7.1 million

36. Honduras

Global Firepower Ranking index: 2.1679
Armed forces personnel: 23,000 (0.6% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $539.8 million (1.6% of GDP)
Total population: 10.6 million

35. Uruguay

Uruguay air force (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Jimmy Baikovicius

Global Firepower Ranking index: 2.1385
Armed forces personnel: 22,000 (1.3% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $1.6 billion (2.0% of GDP)
Total population: 3.4 million

34. Latvia

Global Firepower Ranking index: 2.1246
Armed forces personnel: 9,000 (0.9% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $1.0 billion (2.3% of GDP)
Total population: 1.9 million

33. Mongolia

A group of traditional kazakh eagle hunters posing with their eagles and horses. Ulgii, Mongolia.

Global Firepower Ranking index: 2.1135
Armed forces personnel: 18,000 (1.3% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $147.8 million (0.6% of GDP)
Total population: 3.5 million

32. Ireland

Global Firepower Ranking index: 2.1103
Armed forces personnel: 9,000 (0.4% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $1.3 billion (0.2% of GDP)
Total population: 5.3 million

31. Slovenia

Global Firepower Ranking index: 2.1016
Armed forces personnel: 7,000 (0.7% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $907.5 million (1.3% of GDP)
Total population: 2.1 million

30. Georgia

Global Firepower Ranking index: 2.0695
Armed forces personnel: 26,000 (1.4% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $504.6 million (1.7% of GDP)
Total population: 3.7 million

29. Armenia

Yerevan Central Square at Night by Hovic Armenia Album

Yerevan Central Square at Night (BY 2.0) by Hovic Armenia Album

Global Firepower Ranking index: 2.0373
Armed forces personnel: 47,000 (3.2% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $1.3 billion (5.5% of GDP)
Total population: 3.0 million

28. Lithuania

Global Firepower Ranking index: 1.9075
Armed forces personnel: 37,000 (2.5% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $2.2 billion (2.7% of GDP)
Total population: 2.9 million

27. Paraguay

Global Firepower Ranking index: 1.9044
Armed forces personnel: 29,000 (0.9% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $397.9 million (0.9% of GDP)
Total population: 6.8 million

26. New Zealand

Global Firepower Ranking index: 1.9039
Armed forces personnel: 10,000 (0.3% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $3.0 billion (1.2% of GDP)
Total population: 5.2 million

25. Oman

Global Firepower Ranking index: 1.8047
Armed forces personnel: 47,000 (2.1% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $5.9 billion (5.4% of GDP)
Total population: 5.0 million

24. Bahrain

Global Firepower Ranking index: 1.7448
Armed forces personnel: 19,000 (2.3% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $1.4 billion (3.1% of GDP)
Total population: 1.6 million

23. Kuwait

Global Firepower Ranking index: 1.6982
Armed forces personnel: 25,000 (1.0% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $7.8 billion (4.9% of GDP)
Total population: 4.9 million

22. Albania

Saranda, Albania (BY 2.0) by timniblett

Global Firepower Ranking index: 1.6815
Armed forces personnel: 8,000 (0.6% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $397.6 million (1.7% of GDP)
Total population: 2.7 million

21. Turkmenistan

Global Firepower Ranking index: 1.6512
Armed forces personnel: 57,000 (2.6% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $111.9 million (2.9% of GDP)
Total population: 7.4 million

20. Croatia

Global Firepower Ranking index: 1.5074
Armed forces personnel: 20,000 (1.2% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $1.4 billion (1.8% of GDP)
Total population: 3.9 million

19. Libya

Global Firepower Ranking index: 1.4449
Armed forces personnel: N/A
Military expenditure: $3.8 billion (15.5% of GDP)
Total population: 7.3 million

18. Qatar

Global Firepower Ranking index: 1.4307
Armed forces personnel: 22,000 (1.1% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $15.4 billion (7.0% of GDP)
Total population: 2.7 million

17. Slovakia

Global Firepower Ranking index: 1.3978
Armed forces personnel: 18,000 (0.7% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $2.7 billion (2.0% of GDP)
Total population: 5.4 million

16. Belarus

Global Firepower Ranking index: 1.3954
Armed forces personnel: 158,000 (3.2% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $1.4 billion (1.8% of GDP)
Total population: 9.2 million

15. Austria

Global Firepower Ranking index: 1.3704
Armed forces personnel: 23,000 (0.5% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $4.4 billion (0.8% of GDP)
Total population: 9.1 million

14. Serbia

Global Firepower Ranking index: 1.2576
Armed forces personnel: 32,000 (1.0% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $2.1 billion (2.9% of GDP)
Total population: 6.6 million

13. Bulgaria

Global Firepower Ranking index: 1.2563
Armed forces personnel: 37,000 (1.1% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $1.9 billion (1.8% of GDP)
Total population: 6.4 million

12. Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan State Philarmony by Niyaz from Baku

Azerbaijan State Philarmony (BY 2.0) by Niyaz from Baku

Global Firepower Ranking index: 1.2531
Armed forces personnel: 82,000 (1.6% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $3.6 billion (4.6% of GDP)
Total population: 10.2 million

11. Hungary

Global Firepower Ranking index: 1.0259
Armed forces personnel: 46,000 (0.9% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $4.4 billion (2.1% of GDP)
Total population: 9.6 million

10. United Arab Emirates

Global Firepower Ranking index: 1.0186
Armed forces personnel: 63,000 (1.0% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $22.8 billion (5.6% of GDP)
Total population: 10.5 million

9. Finland

Global Firepower Ranking index: 0.8437
Armed forces personnel: 22,000 (0.8% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $7.3 billion (2.4% of GDP)
Total population: 5.6 million

8. Denmark

Waste energy plant, Amager bakke, Copenhill in Copenhagen, Denmark, makes environmentally friendly energy and electricity from garbage by Dabuch

Waste energy plant, Amager bakke, Copenhill in Copenhagen, Denmark, makes environmentally friendly energy and electricity from garbage (Shutterstock.com) by Dabuch

Global Firepower Ranking index: 0.8109
Armed forces personnel: 15,000 (0.5% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $8.1 billion (2.0% of GDP)
Total population: 5.9 million

7. Switzerland

Global Firepower Ranking index: 0.7869
Armed forces personnel: 20,000 (0.4% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $6.3 billion (0.7% of GDP)
Total population: 8.9 million

6. Portugal

Global Firepower Ranking index: 0.6856
Armed forces personnel: 52,000 (1.0% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $4.2 billion (1.5% of GDP)
Total population: 10.6 million

5. Norway

Global Firepower Ranking index: 0.6811
Armed forces personnel: 25,000 (0.9% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $8.7 billion (1.6% of GDP)
Total population: 5.5 million

4. Greece

Global Firepower Ranking index: 0.5337
Armed forces personnel: 147,000 (3.2% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $7.7 billion (3.2% of GDP)
Total population: 10.4 million

3. Singapore

Global Firepower Ranking index: 0.5271
Armed forces personnel: 59,000 (1.7% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $13.2 billion (2.7% of GDP)
Total population: 5.9 million

2. Sweden

Global Firepower Ranking index: 0.4835
Armed forces personnel: 15,000 (0.3% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $8.8 billion (1.5% of GDP)
Total population: 10.5 million

1. Israel

Global Firepower Ranking index: 0.2661
Armed forces personnel: 178,000 (4.2% of labor force)
Military expenditure: $27.5 billion (5.3% of GDP)
Total population: 9.8 million

Take Charge of Your Retirement In Just A Few Minutes (Sponsor)

Retirement planning doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. The key is finding expert guidance—and SmartAsset’s simple quiz makes it easier than ever for you to connect with a vetted financial advisor.

Here’s how it works:

Answer a Few Simple Questions. Tell us a bit about your goals and preferences—it only takes a few minutes!
Get Matched with Vetted Advisors Our smart tool matches you with up to three pre-screened, vetted advisors who serve your area and are held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. Click here to begin
Choose Your Fit Review their profiles, schedule an introductory call (or meet in person), and select the advisor who feel is right for you.

Why wait? Start building the retirement you’ve always dreamed of. Click here to get started today!