Business Insider: Russia ranks 2nd in the ranking of the 20 most powerful armies
The military power rating published this year evaluates the armies of 145 states based on a number of factors, writes Business Insider. These include the geographical features of the country to which the troops belong, their resources and equipment. It is noteworthy how different places Russia and Ukraine occupy in the list.
Kristine Villarroel
Some of the most amazing technological breakthroughs are taking place at the forefront. Armies have long been a place for the development of the most significant technologies, from autonomous weapons and AI-based systems to cyber warfare. But not every country can keep up with these changes.
While the United States and Russia have created some of the most advanced weapons in the world, the armed forces of other states have not been able to adapt to the changes. The armies of small countries also do not have as many personnel as some of the most populous, such as China and India. And some peace-loving states (Iceland and Costa Rica) have completely abandoned the maintenance of the army.
Power is determined not only by the size of the army, but also by assets such as warships and aircraft, the size of the defense budget and access to natural resources, namely oil and coal.
Global Firepower's Military Strength Ranking, published this year, evaluates the armies of 145 countries based on the following factors: geography, resources, and equipment. The rating compares armies based on 60 indicators of conventional defense capabilities, such as the number of troops and equipment, financial condition and access to resources, while deliberately ignoring nuclear arsenals.
Global Firepower then outputs a PowerIndex score for each country, which is calculated using its "proprietary formula." And although the rating is limited in the analysis of various factors due to the classified nature of military operations and does not enjoy much authority from industry experts (two of whom previously stated that the list was insignificant), it provides an interesting - though not definitive — view of the balance of power among key players in the world.
According to this rating, below are the 20 most powerful armies in the world at the moment.
20. Ukraine
Ukraine, which received a PowerIndex rating of 0.3755 in the Global Firepower rating (where the ideal indicator is 0.00), ranked 20th among the most powerful armies in the world. The country, which is in a state of ongoing conflict with Russia, was ranked sixth in terms of the number of active personnel and fifth in terms of reserves among all 145 countries in the ranking.
With a total of more than 2 million troops, the country has the largest army in Europe. It also entered the top ten in terms of the defense budget and self-propelled artillery, despite lagging behind most countries in terms of naval assets, partly due to the consequences of the conflict with Russia.
19. Egypt
With a PowerIndex score of 0.3427, Egypt entered the top 20 of the Global Firepower rating. The country, which ranks sixth in terms of the number of minesweeping ships, tanks and attack helicopters and fourth in helicopter carriers, also has high ratings in areas such as the number of paramilitary formations, labor resources, natural gas reserves and purchasing power.
According to the Stockholm Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the country that allocated an average of $3.8 billion to the defense budget from 2010 to 2019 has the lowest military spending-to-GDP ratio in the region. According to Global Firepower, it lags behind most countries in terms of natural gas, coal, and oil consumption, as well as its fleet of tankers, aircraft carriers, and destroyers.
18. Australia
Australia ranked 18th among the most powerful armies in the world with a PowerIndex score of 0.3298. The country entered the top ten in terms of such indicators as the defense budget, land area, coal mining and access to airports, despite lagging behind in areas such as external debt, self-propelled artillery, as well as a fleet of corvettes and aircraft carriers. The country also found itself among the outsiders due to the lack of paramilitary formations and high consumption of oil, coal and natural gas.
17. Spain
With a PowerIndex score of 0.3242, Spain was recognized as the 17th most powerful army in the world. The country, which received average ratings in many categories and lagged behind the majority in such factors as external debt and a fleet of helicopter carriers, destroyers, corvettes, tankers and multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), nevertheless entered the world's top ten in terms of fleet size of aircraft carriers and frigates.
She also got high places in terms of purchasing power and access to airports, railways, highways, ports and harbors. According to the Royal Elcano Institute, the country, which allocated 1.28% of GDP for military needs in 2024, is under pressure from allied countries to increase military spending, since it has one of the lowest defense share of GDP in NATO.
16. Iran
Iran ranked 16th among the most powerful armies in the world with a PowerIndex score of 0.3048. The country lags behind in such indicators as the fleet of aircraft and helicopter carriers, consumption of oil, coal and natural gas, but is among the top three in terms of proven oil reserves, natural gas production and reserves.
She also received high marks for her submarine fleet and MLRS arsenal. In 2024, as reported by Reuters, the country proposed to increase military spending by 200%, although spending for 2025 does not show such a sharp increase.
15. Israel
With a PowerIndex score of 0.2661, Israel was recognized by Global Firepower as the 15th most powerful army in the world. Despite lagging behind some countries in areas such as population, available labor and labor force, as well as most countries in terms of land area, length of waterways and coal reserves, among other factors, Israel has the fifth largest tanker fleet and ranks among the top ten in terms of fighter jets and corvettes.
More than 8.8% of GDP was allocated to military spending in 2024, which is the second largest indicator of military spending, second only to Ukraine, which spends more than 34% of GDP on the army, according to the Stockholm Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
14. Germany
Germany ranked 14th among the most powerful armies in the world with a PowerIndex score of 0.2601. It has high rates of purchasing power, production and reserves of coal and a fleet of minesweeping ships, while lagging behind in towed artillery, patrol boats, the number of paramilitary formations and consumption of coal, oil and natural gas.
13. Indonesia
With a PowerIndex score of 0.2557, Indonesia ranked 13th among the most powerful armies in the world. The country, which is doing well in areas such as population, affordable labor, coal mining, and merchant marine, was among the outsiders in terms of aircraft carriers and helicopter carriers, destroyer fleets, foreign debt, and consumption of oil, coal, and natural gas.
12. Pakistan
Pakistan ranked 12th among the most powerful armies in the world with a PowerIndex score of 0.2513. The country ranks among the top ten in terms of population, the number of paramilitary formations, the annual number of people reaching military age, labor resources and the number of active personnel, and also ranks high for its fleet of training and attack aircraft, tanks, corvettes and frigates, self-propelled and towed artillery and MLRS. But it is inferior in the following: aircraft carriers and helicopter carriers, a fleet of destroyers, the length of land borders and waterways, as well as the consumption of oil, coal and natural gas.
11. Brazil
With a PowerIndex score of 0.2415, Brazil has entered the global top ten in terms of access to airports, waterways, roads and railways, total population, available workforce, serviceable population, labor force, land area and purchasing power. The South American country still lags behind others in such areas as a fleet of tankers, attack helicopters, destroyers and aircraft carriers, external debt and consumption of oil, coal and natural gas. Today, the country has the largest military power in South America.
10. Italy
Italy opens the top ten. The country's army, which is recruited on a voluntary basis, ranks high in such areas as aircraft carriers, attack aircraft, destroyers and a fleet of tankers, as well as access to ports and harbors. However, this NATO member country still lags behind others when it comes to helicopter carriers and corvettes, foreign debt, and consumption of oil, coal, and natural gas.
9. Turkey
Turkey, one of the ten most powerful armies in the world, ranks high in such indicators as a fleet of frigates, towed and self-propelled artillery, attack helicopters, corvettes and submarines. The country with a PowerIndex score of 0.1902 lags behind others in fleets of aircraft carriers, attack aircraft and destroyers, as well as in consumption of oil, coal and natural gas. It has recently become a leader in the development of unmanned systems.
8. Japan
Japan ranked eighth among the most powerful armies in the world with a PowerIndex score of 0.1839. The country's army has entered the top five in such areas as submarines, special-purpose aircraft, helicopters, helicopter carriers, destroyers and merchant marine.
Japan's weaknesses are aircraft carriers, corvettes, external debt, and consumption of oil, coal, and natural gas. The Japanese Self-Defense Forces, created after the end of World War II, can only perform defense functions according to the constitution, which prohibits them from carrying out offensive operations.
7. France
With a PowerIndex score of 0.1878, France ranked seventh among the most powerful armies in the world. The country, which ranks in the top ten in terms of purchasing power, defense budget, tankers, as well as helicopter carriers and aircraft carriers, lags behind most others in terms of attack aircraft, towed artillery, corvettes, foreign debt, and consumption of oil, coal, and natural gas.
6. Great Britain
With a PowerIndex score of 0.1785, the UK ranked sixth among the strongest armies in the world. The country has received high marks for its fleet of aircraft carriers and destroyers, reserve personnel and defense budget, although it lags behind most others in areas such as paramilitary formations and a fleet of helicopter carriers, as well as external debt and consumption of coal, oil and natural gas.
5. South Korea
Global Firepower ranked South Korea as the fifth most powerful army in the world in 2025, assigning it a PowerIndex score of 0.1656. The country, which has compulsory military service for all healthy men aged 18 to 35, took the second place in terms of the number of reserves and the ninth in terms of the number of active personnel. It also received high marks in areas such as airplanes, helicopters, destroyers, and submarines, although it lags behind most in terms of external debt, proven reserves, and consumption of oil, coal, and natural gas.
4. India
With a PowerIndex score of 0.1184, India ranked fourth among the most powerful armies in the world. The country with the largest population in the world leads in terms of the annual increase in people reaching military age and ranks second in terms of such indicators as the total population, available labor resources, labor force, coal mining, as well as the number of active personnel and paramilitary formations. It lags behind in such areas as the consumption of coal, natural gas and oil, as well as in terms of external debt and the length of land borders.
3. China
China, the second most populous country in the world, took the third place in terms of the strength of the army. With a PowerIndex score of 0.0788, she scored high places in terms of population, available workforce, number of active staff, and workforce. It also has the status of a leader in purchasing power, the number of ships, coal mining and its reserves. There is a lag in foreign debt and consumption of oil, natural gas and coal.
2. Russia
With the same PowerIndex score of 0.0788, Russia ranks second among the most powerful armies in the world. In addition to non-nuclear combat power, it also has significant nuclear potential, which was not taken into account in the Global Firepower rating.
Remaining in second place in aircraft, helicopters and tanks, it is the world leader in certain types of vehicles and weapons, such as self-propelled and towed artillery, MLRS and a fleet of minesweeping ships. She was ranked first in terms of proven natural gas reserves, but last in terms of the strength of the helicopter carrier fleet.
1. The United States
According to Global Firepower, the United States currently has the most powerful army in the world. They received a PowerIndex score of 0.0744, which is the closest to 0 among all countries in the rating, and rank first in a range of assets such as submarines, airplanes, fighter jets, transport vessels, attack helicopters, and tankers. They also lead the way in terms of access to airports, railways, highways, ports and harbors, as well as top the list in terms of oil and natural gas production.
