When it is about military might, it is always an interesting topic to know the most powerful and the strongest countries of the world. You may already have some picks settled in your mind about who ranks and who does not among the top most powerful nations of the world when talking about military might.
For rankings, Global Firepower is one group that is specialized in this area and here they have given a ranking of the leading and the world’s 10 best and most powerful militaries. Of the countries of the world, 68 of the top were selected for these rankings. Taking 68 different countries into account for the rankings, they take into considerations the land military systems, the number of manpower and abilities, the naval might, the air force strength, the resources available for the military, the geography covered, finance and logistics provisions of the individual countries. 40 different statistics were measured on every country selected. This includes labor force, the number of aircraft carriers in their possession and the available manpower of each nation. All these parameters were used to calculate and come up with a power index. A higher power index shows a smaller firepower while a lower power index indicates more and a higher firepower likewise.
Why Pakistan, the world’s 5thlargest armed forces are missing in the rankings is yet to be known. They could have been disqualified for a specific reason that doesn’t measure up with the ranking provisions. Whatever that be, here are the top 10 list of the strongest of the world in military firepower that you’ll be interested in knowing.
10. Brazil
Brazil is no doubt a strong force in the military from South America. They come as the only Southern American country to make it this far in this top 10 most powerful military firepower in the world. Here is what they have been able to garner to get to rank as one of the 10 most powerful militaries in the world.
- Power or Accumulated index: 0.6912
- Amount budgeted for Defense: $31,576,000,000
- Active personnel in the military: 371, 199
- Total labor force capability: 104,700,000
- Total number of Aircraft: 822
- Total naval power and strength: 106
9. Italy
Not many people know about the strength of the Italian military to give them a chance in this ranking. They have surprisingly pulled some points as the strong force from across the Mediterranean to rank with a strong power index to get this far. Here is how they pull it up:
- Power or Accumulated index: 0.6838
- Amount budgeted for Defense: $31,946,000,000
- Active personnel in the military: 293, 202
- Total labor force capability: 25, 080,000
- Total number of Aircraft: 770
- Total Naval power and strength: 179
8. South Korea
The Asian technology and electronic powerhouse, South Korea is a force to reckon with in military prowess. With a hostile neighbor to worry about, South Korea is not lacking in military strength either and has come up with a good power index to make it far to the top 10 of this ranking. Here is how they compare:
- Power or Accumulated index: 0.6547
- Amount budgeted for Defense: $28,280,000,000
- Active personnel in the military: 653, 000
- Total labor force capability: 25,100,000
- Total number of Aircraft: 871
- Total naval power and strength: 190
7. Germany
The German machine has also got it in the military as a force to contend with in Europe as one of the strongest in military hardware and manpower. Famous with strong, reliable and durable machines, Germany replicates the same in their military with a good rating to their credit as one of the top 10 most powerful militaries in the world. They’ve got this all together to get to this enviable position:
- Power or Accumulated index: 0.6491
- Amount budgeted for Defense: $43,478,000,000
- Active personnel in the military: 148,996
- Total labor force capability: 43,620,000
- Total number of Aircraft: 925
- Total Naval power and strength: 67
6. France
It should not be surprising that the French are included in this list because they are one of the world’s powerhouses. With a history of dominance and colonization with many battles fought and won, the French are a force with strong military might. Their making it to this position should therefore not be a surprise in any way. See what they’ve got to rank it high.
- Power or Accumulated index: 0.6163
- Amount budgeted for Defense: $58,244,000,000
- Active personnel in the military: 362,485
- Total labor force capability: 29,610,000
- Total number of Aircraft: 544
- Total Naval power and strength: 180
5. The United Kingdom
Great Britain is one of the world powers and their making it to the top 10 in this list is rightly expected being one of the world’s superpower nations. They’ve seen several battles with many victories in the colonial era and have maintained the tradition in military prowess to rank with a strong power index.
- Power or Accumulated index: 0.5185
- Amount budgeted for Defense: $57,875,170,000
- Active personnel in the military: 224,500
- Total labor force capability: 31,720,000
- Total number of Aircraft: 1,412
- Total Naval power and strength: 77
4. India
A growing force in every aspect of the economy, India has grown to be a force in military hardware and might. Many wouldn’t give it to India but they’ve pulled up a strong surprise to get valuable points to rank strong and even higher than world recognized powers. Here is how they pull it all together to give a strong challenge.
- Power or Accumulated index: 0.4346
- Amount budgeted for Defense: $44,282,000,000
- Active personnel in the military: 1,325,000
- Total labor force capability: 487,600,000
- Total number of Aircraft: 1,962
- Total Naval power and strength: 170
3. China
It’s no surprise that China is here. They have been one of the world’s super powers and are ever growing stronger and faster to not rank this high. They remain the number one in the Asian region with a huge population working for them in all spheres. Check how they did it to rank at number 3.
- Power or Accumulated index: 0.3351
- Amount budgeted for Defense: $129,272,000,000
- Active personnel in the military: 2,285,000
- Total labor force capability: 795,500,000
- Total number of Aircraft: 5,048
- Total Naval power and strength: 972
2. Russia
A strong force and one of the world’s superpowers, Russia still keeps the lead in military warfare and are ever growing stronger. This is what they’ve got to rank this high still.
- Power or Accumulated index: 0.2618
- Amount budgeted for Defense: $64,000,000,000
- Active personnel in the military: 1,200,000
- Total labor force capability: 75,330,000
- Total number of Aircraft: 4,498
- Total Naval power and strength: 224
1. The United States
There is nothing more or less to say because everyone knows the US to be the leading world power and coming on the number 1 spot should not be any surprise. They are always at the forefront of situations all around the world to ensure the world remains a peaceful place for all. Here is the power index that has taken them to the top of the 10 most powerful militaries in the world:
- Power or Accumulated index: 0.2475
- Amount budgeted for Defense: $689,591,000,000
- Active personnel in the military: 1,477,896
- Total labor force capability: 153,600,000
- Total number of Aircraft: 15,293
- Total Naval power and strength: 290
For this ranking, you will probably have noticed that there is no mention of nuclear strength which many people would be yearning to see. Well, that has not been included because it would defeat the purpose of this comparison. The rankings are determined solely on every country’s potential and war strength over land, air, and sea.
Hopefully this information was interesting! If you have any questions or comments about the most powerful armies in the world, please don’t hesitate to leave a reply below. Thank you for reading. Remember to share this, if you like this article!
