A powerful and efficient army is the key to a significant weight of the country in the international arena. Moreover, in connection with the well-known events in Syria and Ukraine, more and more attention is paid to the military power of different countries. Many people ask: "Who will win the world war?"
Today we present the annually updated, official ranking of the world's armies, the full list includes the most powerful armies in the world in 2018.
Top 10 compiled according to the specialized resource Globalfirepower.
When compiling a rating, the comparison includes:
- number of world armies (regular number of troops, reservists)
- weapons (airplanes, helicopters, tanks, navy, artillery, other equipment)
- military budget
- resource endowment, geographical location,
- logistics.
The nuclear potential is not taken into account by experts, but recognized nuclear powers gain an advantage in ranking.
In 2018, 136 countries were included in the ranking. Newcomers to the list are Ireland (116th line), Montenegro (121st place) and Liberia (135th position).
By the way, San Marino has the weakest army in the world in 2018 - only 84 people.
10. German Army
Germany's military budget increased from $ 45 to $ 46 billion. At the same time, the number of military personnel decreased from 186 to 178 thousand people. The German army is fully professional, i.e. There is no compulsory draft in the country since 2011.
9. Armed forces of Turkey
In the past, the world's top armies, the country of luxurious beaches and beautiful tomatoes, occupied the eighth line. The size of its armed forces is 350 thousand people, and the military budget is 10.2 billion dollars.
8. Japan Self-Defense Forces
The Land of the Rising Sun has worsened its military performance and dropped one line in the list of the best armies in the world. The military budget has decreased from 49 to 44 billion dollars, but the number of troops has not changed - over 247 thousand people.
7. Army of South Korea
Compared to the previous rating, South Korea “jumped” from 10th to 7th line. In the Korean army serve 625 thousand military. The eternal rival - North Korea, the number of soldiers reaches 945 thousand people. And the defense budget of South Korea is $ 40 billion.
6. British Army
Although the country's position on the list has not changed, it has improved its indicators in terms of army size (197 thousand people against 188 thousand people). Nevertheless, it still remains the smallest army in the ranking.
The military budget of England decreased in comparison with 2017 from 55 to 50 billion dollars.
5. Army of France
The French army, which opened the top 5 of the most powerful armies in the world, is small in number. Currently, 205 thousand people serve in it. At the same time, the country's defense budget is $ 40 billion.
4. Armed forces of India
The country's military budget is $ 47 billion. The number of Indian armed forces is 1,362,000, the country's army is the third largest in the world.
3. The army of China
Celestial Empire has the most numerous human military force in the ranking of world armies. It serves 2,183,000 people. According to Wikipedia, there are 1.71 troops per 1000 inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom. And China's military budget is huge, to match the army - 151 billion dollars (increased from 126 billion dollars compared to 2017).
2. The army of Russia
The Russian armed forces surpass almost all the armies of the countries of the world in terms of armament power in all branches of the armed forces - air, ground and sea. The number of the Russian army in 2018 is 1 013 000 people. The military budget is $ 47 billion. Among the superpowers, Russia has a very high rate of military per 1000 inhabitants - 5.3 people.
1. US Army
The strongest army in the world, according to Globalfirepower, an American. By the way, it is not the largest in number, but the most powerful in terms of the available weapons, including the nuclear potential not taken into account by experts. The size of the US Army is 1,281,900, and the defense budget is $ 647 billion.
World Armies Comparison Chart (Infographic)
No matter how armed the army is, the fighting spirit of the soldiers will play an important role in the victory in the world war. In this regard, it is a big mistake to consider the current distribution of seats to be absolutely correct.
