The world’s most powerful militaries in 2025, ranked

• Global Firepower ranked the world’s most powerful militaries for 2025.
• Military strength was measured by assets, defense budget, geography, and natural resources.
• The United States, Russia, and China lead the list, reflecting global military power trends.

Some of the most astonishing technological advances are happening on the frontlines.

Militaries have long been the home of some of the most significant technological developments, from autonomous and AI-powered weapons to cyberwarfare.

But not every nation has kept up.

While the US and Russia have developed some of the world’s most advanced weapons, militaries from other nations have failed to embrace or adapt to new technologies.

Militaries from smaller countries also don’t have as much manpower as some of the world’s most populous countries, like China and India. In some cases, some peace-promoting nations like Iceland and Costa Rica have opted for not having a military at all.

Power isn’t just determined by the size of a nation’s military, but also by its assets like warships and aircrafts, its defense budget, and its access to natural resources like oil and coal.

This year’s Military Strength Ranking released by Global Firepower ranks 145 nations’ militaries based on factors like geography, resources, and equipment.

The ranking compares the armies on 60 measures of conventional defense powers, like number of troops and amount of equipment, financial standing, and access to resources, while also overlooking each nation’s nuclear capabilities.

Global Firepower then uses these factors to score each nation on a PowerIndex score calculated using an “in-house formula.”

While the ranking is limited in its analysis of different factors due to the obfuscating nature of military operations and isn’t held in much esteem by industry experts, with two experts previously telling Business Insider that the list’s value is limited, it provides an interesting — although not definitive — look at how some of the world’s major players stack up against one another.

Per its ranking, these are the top 20 most powerful armies in the world right now.

20. Ukraine

Ukraine, which was given a PowerIndex score of 0.3755 in the Global Firepower ranking — in which 0.00 represents a perfect score — was ranked as the world’s 20th-most powerful military.

The country, which is engaged in an ongoing conflict with Russia, was ranked as having the sixth highest number of active personnel and the fifth highest reserve personnel out of all 145 countries in the ranking.

With over 2 million total military personnel, the country has the largest army in Europe.

It also ranked within the top 10 in defense budget and self-propelled artillery, despite falling behind most countries in its naval fleet’s assets, in part due to the impacts of its war with Russia.

19. Egypt

With a PowerIndex score of 0.3427, Egypt was ranked within the top 20 in Global Firepower’s ranking.

The country, which ranked sixth in its mine warfare, tanks, and attack helicopter fleet and fourth on helicopter carriers, also ranked highly in areas like paramilitary personnel, labor force, natural gas reserves, and purchasing power.

The country, which allocated an average of $3.8 billion to its defense budget between 2010 and 2019, had the lowest ratio of military spending to GDP in the region, per the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

However, it still fell behind most nations on its natural gas, coal, and oil consumption, as well as lacking in its fleet of tankers, aircraft carriers, and destroyers, per Global Firepower.

18. Australia

Australia, with a PowerIndex score of 0.3298, was ranked as the 18th-most powerful military in the world.

The country ranked within the top 10 in areas like defense budget, land area, coal production and access to airports, despite falling behind other nations in areas like external debt, self-propelled artillery, and its naval corvette and aircraft carrier fleet.

The nation was also ranked among the lowest for its lack of paramilitary personnel and its high consumption of oil, coal, and natural gas.

17. Spain

With a PowerIndex score of 0.3242, Spain was ranked as the 17th-most powerful military in the world by Global Firepower.

The nation, which received average ranks in many categories and fell behind most nations in factors like external debt, and fleet of helicopter carriers, destroyers, naval corvettes, tankers, and multiple launch rocket projectors (MLRs), also was within the global top 10 for its aircraft carrier and frigates fleet.

It also ranked highly in purchasing power and access to airports, railways, roads, ports and harbors.

The country, which allocated 1.28% of its GDP to military spending in 2024, has been under pressure from its allied states to increase its military spending, as it has one of the lowest percentages of its GDP allocated to defense among NATO countries, as reported by the Elcano Royal Institute.

16. Iran

Iran, which received a PowerIndex score of 0.3048, was ranked as having the 16th-most powerful military in the world.

The country, which falls behind other nations in factors like its aircraft and helicopter carrier fleet and its consumption of oil, coal, and natural gas, was within the top three in proven oil reserves, natural gas production, and natural gas reserves.

It was also ranked highly for its submarine and multiple launch rocket projectors (MLRs) fleet.

In 2024, the country proposed increasing its military spending by 200%, as reported by Reuters, although its 2025 spending doesn’t show such a drastic increase.

15. Israel

With a PowerIndex score of 0.2661, Israel was ranked as the 15th-most powerful military in the world by Global Firepower.

Despite falling behind some nations on areas like population, available manpower, and labor force, and behind most nations on square land area, waterways, and coal reserves, among other factors, Israel has the fifth most powerful fleet of tankers and ranks within the top 10 in its aircraft fighter and naval corvette fleet.

With over 8.8% of its GDP allocated to military expenditures in 2024, Israel has the second-highest military spending as a percentage of GDP, ranking second only to Ukraine, which spends over 34% of its GDP on the military, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

14. Germany

Germany was ranked as having the 14th-most powerful military in the world, with a PowerIndex score of 0.2601.

The country ranks highly in its purchasing power, coal production and reserves, and mine warfare fleet, among other factors. It falls behind other countries in towed artillery, offshore patrol, paramilitary personnel and consumption of coal, oil, and natural gas.

13. Indonesia

With a PowerIndex score of 0.2557, Indonesia was ranked as the 13th-most powerful military in the world.

The country, which excels in areas like population, available manpower, coal production, and merchant marines, also ranked as one of the lowest countries in aircraft and helicopter carriers, destroyer fleet, external debt, and consumption of oil, coal, and natural gas.

12. Pakistan

Pakistan was ranked as having the 12th-most powerful military in the world, with a PowerIndex score of 0.2513 according to Global Firepower.

The country ranks within the world’s top 10 in areas like population, paramilitary personnel, population reaching military age annually, labor force, and active personnel, as well as ranking highly for its fleet of trainer and attack aircraft, tanks, naval corvettes and frigates, self-propelled and towed artillery, and multiple launch rocket projectors (MLRs).

It also falls short of other countries in areas like aircraft and helicopter carriers, as well as its destroyer fleet, as well as its shared borders and waterways, and consumption of oil, coal, and natural gas.

11. Brazil

With a PowerIndex score of 0.2415, Brazil was ranked within the global top 10 in areas like access to airports, waterways, roads, and railways, total population, available manpower, fit-for-service population, labor force, land area, and purchasing power.

The South American country still fared behind others in areas like its fleet of tankers, attack helicopters, destroyers, and aircraft carriers, its external debt, and its consumption of oil, coal, and natural gas.

The country has by far the largest military power in South America.

10. Italy

Rounding up the top 10, Italy was ranked as having the 10th-most powerful military in the world.

The country’s military, which is made up of an all-volunteer active personnel, ranked within the top 10 in areas like aircraft carriers, attack aircraft, destroyers, and tanker fleets, and it also ranked highly in its access to ports and harbors.

The NATO country still fell behind others when it came to its helicopter carriers and naval corvettes fleet, as well its external debt and consumption of oil, coal, and natural gas.

9. Turkey

Listed within the top 10 most powerful militaries in the world, Turkey ranks highly in areas like frigate fleet, towed and self-propelled artillery, attack helicopters, naval corvettes, and submarines.

The country, which has a PowerIndex score of 0.1902, falls behind others in its aircraft carrier, attack aircraft, and destroyer fleets, as well as its consumption of oil, coal, and natural gas.

The country has also recently become a leader in the development of drone systems.

8. Japan

Japan was ranked as the eighth-most powerful military in the world, with a PowerIndex score of 0.1839.

The country’s military was ranked within the top five in areas like submarine, special mission aircraft, helicopter, helicopter carriers, destroyers, and merchant marine fleet.

However, Japan also fell behind other nations when it came to aircraft carriers, naval corvettes, external debt, and consumption of oil, coal, and natural gas.

The Japan Self-Defense Forces, the country’s military force established after the end of World War II, is only allowed to serve as a defense force by the country’s constitution, which bars it from acting on offensive attacks.

7. France

With a PowerIndex score of 0.1878, France was ranked as the seventh-most powerful military in the world.

The country, which ranked within the top 10 in areas like purchasing power, defense budget, tankers, and helicopter and aircraft carriers, fell behind most other countries in areas like attack aircrafts, towed artillery, naval corvettes, external debt, and consumption of oil, coal, and natural gas.

6. United Kingdom

With a PowerScore of 0.1785, the United Kingdom was ranked as the sixth-most powerful military in the world.

The country ranked highly in its aircraft carrier and destroyer fleet, reserve personnel, and defense budget, although it fell behind most other countries in areas like paramilitary personnel and its helicopter carrier fleet, as well as external debt and consumption of coal, oil, and natural gas.

5. South Korea

Global Firepower ranked South Korea as having the fifth-most powerful military in the world in 2025, giving it a PowerIndex score of 0.1656.

The country, which has a mandatory military service for all healthy males between the ages of 18 and 35, ranked second in reserve personnel and ninth in active personnel.

It also ranked highly in areas like aircraft, helicopters, destroyers, and submarines, although it fell behind most other nations in areas like external debt, proven oil reserves, and consumption of oil, coal, and natural gas.

4. India

With a PowerIndex of 0.1184, India was ranked as having the fourth-most powerful military in the world.

The country — which has the largest population in the world — ranked first in population reaching military age annually, and took the second spot in areas like total population, available manpower, labor force, coal production, and active and paramilitary personnel.

It did fare behind most other countries in areas like coal, natural gas, and oil consumption, as well as external debt and shared borders.

3. China

China, the world’s second-most populous country, was ranked as having the third-strongest military in the world.

The country, which received a PowerIndex score of 0.0788, ranked high in areas like population, available manpower, active personnel, labor force, and fit-for-service population, and also got the top rank in purchasing power, ships, and coal production and reserves.

The country, however, also fell behind most countries in external debt, and consumption of oil, natural gas, and coal.

2. Russia

Also with a PowerIndex score of 0.0788, Russia ranks as the second-most powerful military in the world.

Aside from its conventional fighting power, Russia also has vast nuclear capabilities that weren’t taken into consideration on the Global Firepower ranking.

While it stuck to the second place in factors like aircraft, helicopters, and tanks, it ranked first in the world for certain types of vehicles and weapons, like self-propelled and towed artillery, Multiple Launch Rocket Projectors (MLRS), and for its mine warfare fleet.

It also ranked first for proven national gas reserves, and only ranked last in the world in its helicopter carrier fleet strength.

1. United States

The United States has the world’s most powerful military in 2025, according to Global Firepower. The US received a PowerIndex score of 0.0744, the closest to 0 of all the countries in the ranking.

It ranks in the first place for a variety of assets, like submarines, aircraft, fighters, transport vessels, attack helicopters, and tankers, among others. It is also first in the world in access to airports, railways, roadways, ports and harbors, and also leads the list on oil and natural gas production.

The nation’s defense budget, which in 2024 exceeded $873 billion, was also ranked first in the world.

The nation, however, also ranked last in the world for external debt, offshore patrols, frigate ships, and paramilitary personnel.

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