The safety and security of a country depend on its military forces. The military’s responsibility is to protect the territorial integrity of the country within the shores of the country on the land, air, and sea. To achieve this, different countries in Africa earmark a large sum of money in the annual budget for defense. This money is used in training military personnel, acquisition of tools and weapons, etc. In this post, we’ll tell you the Strongest Militaries in Africa in 2024.
Overall, African countries are doing well in having strong and disciplined military forces. Some African countries have a strong military force that can be compared to their counterparts in other parts of the world. However, only a few are lagging behind in terms of military might.
Based on the military strength, the country with the Power Index (‘PwrIndx’) score of 0.000 is considered the strongest. The military strength of countries is compared with this score.
On the global scale, the United States, Russia, and China have the strongest military forces in the world in terms of their armory, the number of personnel, the strategies, and the Power Index (PwrIndx) scores.
Egypt has the strongest military forces in Africa in 2024 thanks to its conventional fighting capacity. Egypt has a score of 0.187, the highest in Africa. Trailing behind Egypt in the list are South Africa and Algeria in second and third positions, with scores of 0.428 and 0.4724, respectively.
Top 10 Most Powerful Military in the Africa in 2024
Here’s the list of the top 10 most powerful military in the world in 2024, according to the most recent data from the Global Fire Power
- Egypt
- Algeria
- South Africa
- Nigeria
- Ethiopia
- Angola
- Morocco
- DR Congo
- Tunisia
- Sudan
1. Egypt (PwrIndx Score: 0.2224)
Egypt has the most powerful military force in Africa. At the time of writing this post, the country has 465 combat aircraft and 214 armed helicopters. The Egyptian air force has 240 F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters, the fourth largest in the world after the United States, Israel, and Turkey.
There are 685, 000 total personnel in the Egyptian military. Of these, 310, 000 are active and 375, 000 personnel are on the reserve.
For the foreseeable future, the Egyptian military forces will remain the strongest in the continent thanks to its spending power, a large collection of combat units, and elite Special Forces.
Egyptian military forces have the PwrIndx Score: 0.2224, making it the strongest military force in Africa. On the global ranking, Egypt is the 14th most powerful military in the world.
2. Algeria (PwrIndx Score: 0.3911)
Algeria has the second most powerful military force in Africa. The nation has active personnel of 130, 000 and reserve personnel of 135, 000.
Algeria has the aircraft asset of 552, including 103 fighter aircraft, dedicated attack aircraft of 22, 11 transport aircraft, 87 trainers aircraft, 9 special-Mission aircraft, and 268 helicopters. For land armory, Algeria has a tank strength of 2,196 and 6, 461 armored vehicles as well as 545 self-propelled artillery. In addition, the nation also has a naval fleet of 201.
With the PwrIndx Score of 0.3911, Algeria has the second strongest military force in Africa.
3. South Africa (PwrIndx Score: 0.485)
South Africa has the third most powerful military force in Africa with the PwrIndx Score of 0.4885. The nation has 72, 000 active military personnel and 15, 000 reserve personnel.
The nation boasts 225 aircraft, including 17 fighter aircraft, 7 special mission aircraft, 22 transport aircraft, 88 trainer aircraft, and 91 helicopters. It also has in its armory 195 combat tanks, 2,565 armored fighting vehicles, 43 self-propelled artillery, 82 towered artillery, and 50 rocket projectors. In addition, the country has a Navel strength of 47.
South Africa has the strongest military force in sub-Saharan Africa but is behind Egypt and Algeria on the continent.
4. Nigeria (PwrIndx Score of 0.5587)
Nigeria has the fourth strongest military force in Africa with the PwrIndx Score of 0.5587. The nation has one of the largest uniformed combat services in Africa, with over 223, 000 active personnel and no reserve personnel.
The country boasts 13, 362 aircraft comprising fighter aircraft, transport aircraft, 39, 000 armoured fighting vehicles, 5, 800 tanks, 1,197 self-propelling rockets.
5. Ethiopia (PwrIndx Score: 1.0798)
Ethiopia has one of the strongest military strength in Africa. The nation has a military firepower score of 1.0798 and over 162, 000 active military personnel. Ethiopia’s military force is the strongest in East Africa.
6. Angola (0.8732)
Angola has a well disciplined military forces with over 120, 000 active personnel. The nation’s power score is 0.8732, making it the sixth strongest military force in Africa.
7. Morocco (PwrIndx Score of 1.0524)
Occupying the seventh position on our list of the top 10 strongest militaries in Africa is Morocco. The country has an active military personnel of 200, 000 and a reserve personnel of 150, 000. The country’s global firepower score is 1.0524. The Army, Navy, Air Force, Royal Gendarmerie, and Royal Guard make up the Moroccan Armed Forces.
Morocco boasts 249 total aircraft fleet, 3,335 tank strength, 3, 500 armored vehicles, and 517 self-propelled artillery. Morocco has the naval strength of 121.
8. DR Congo (PwrIndx Score: 1.3055)
With a fire power index score of 1.3055, DR Congo ranks 9th on the list of the strongest militaries in Africa. The congo Armed Forces possess 41 aircraft, 175 combat tanks, and 20 naval assets, but no Frigates, Destroyers, Corvettes, or submarines. It has 134,000 active personnel and no reserve personnel.
9. Tunisia (PwrIndx Score: 1.3243)
The Tunisian military is one of the strongest militaries in Africa, with a score of 1.3243. The country has an active personnel of 48, 000.
10. Sudan (PwrIndx Score: 1.4079)
The Sudanese military is one of the strongest in Africa, occupying the number 10 spot. Sudan have a well organized military force that comprises about 210, 000 active personnel and 85,000 reserve members.
In addition, Sudan has an impressively large tank fleet as well as numerous aircraft and attack helicopters. Sudanese Military boasts 46 fighter aircraft, 38 attack aircraft, 43 attack helicopters, 690 combat tanks, 400 armored fighting vehicles, and 12 naval patrol craft.
Conclusion
In addition to the countries listed above, there are other countries in the continent that have strong military might but could not make the top 10 list. Some of these countries are:
- Libya (1.4718)
- Uganda (1.6264)
- Kenya (1.7701)
- Zambia (1.7896)
- Chad (1.9751)
- Zimbabwe (1.9787)
- Cameroon (2.0296)
- Tanzania (2.0387)
- Ivory Coast (2.0881)
- Ghana (2.1741)
- Mali (2.1992)
