The world's most powerful militaries in 2023, ranked

Sinéad BakerMay 27, 2023, 18:06 IST

Pakistani military personnel stand beside a Shaheen III surface-to-surface ballistic missile during Pakistan Day military parade in Islamabad, Pakistan, in March 2017.REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood

Global Firepower ranked 145 countries based on their military power.
It said the US, China, and Russia rank highest, with some surprises further down the list.

Global Firepower's 2023 Military Strength Ranking lists 145 countries in order of their overall strength.

The ranking considers factors including the amount of military equipment and troops each country has, as well as their financial standing, geography, and avaliable resources.

It uses these factors to generate a PowerIndex score, with a score closer to zero indicating a more powerful military.

Here's how the top 25 countries stack up:

25: Germany

Soldiers of German armed forces Bundeswehr in Altengrabow, Germany, in January 2023.REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

24: Thailand

Thai soldiers march through Bangkok's financial district as they clash with anti-government protesters in May 2010.REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

23: Taiwan

Taiwan's special forces move through colored smoke during a military exercise in Taipei.(AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File

22: Saudi Arabia

Graduating soldiers from the Saudi special forces demonstrate their unarmed combat skills in Riyadh, June 2010.REUTERS/Fahad Shadeed

21: Spain

Members of the Spanish Navy in Tyre, Lebanon, in September 2006.REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

20: Poland

A Polish soldier stands guard in front of a pile of burning illegal narcotics in Afghanistan's Ghazni province, November 25, 2008REUTERS/Shir Ahmad

19: Vietnam

Vietnamese soldiers during a welcoming ceremony for South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam, in March 2018.REUTERS/Kham/Pool

18: Israel

A military flyover as part of an aerial show organized for Israel's 75th Independence Day celebrations, in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 26, 2023.REUTERS/Corinna Kern

17: Iran

The commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Force Gen. Kioumars Heidari among Iran-made drones on April 20, 2023.Iranian Army via AP

16: Australia

Two Australian Defence Force (ADF) S70A-9 Blackhawk helicopters fly in formation along Sydney's Parramatta River in 1999.REUTERS

15: Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers in a trench on the Vuhledar frontline in Donetsk Oblast, January 5, 2023.Diego Herrera Carcedo/Getty Images

14: Egypt

Egyptian soldiers in front of the Great Giza pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo, February 9, 2011.REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El-Ghany

13: Indonesia

Indonesian army soldiers during a rehearsal for the 70th anniversary of Indonesia's military in Cilegon, Banten province, in October 2015.REUTERS/Beawiharta

12: Brazil

A soldier stands guard outside the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa in September 2009.REUTERS/Eliana Aponte

11: Turkey

Turkish marines land near the Greek village of Kyparissia during a phase of the NATO "Dynamic Mix" exercise in June 2000.REUTERS

10: Italy

Italian Ariete tank of NATO enhanced Forward Presence battle group fires during military exercise "Silver Arrow" in Adazi, Latvia, in September 2021.REUTERS/Ints Kalnins

9: France

Armored cars drive down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris during the annual Bastille Day parade, July 14, 2005.REUTERS

8: Japan

A soldier from Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force participates in a beach invasion drill at Camp Pendleton, California, in February 2019.REUTERS/Mike Blake

7: Pakistan

Pakistani military personnel stand beside a Shaheen III surface-to-surface ballistic missile during Pakistan Day military parade in Islamabad, Pakistan, in March 2017.REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood

6: South Korea

US and South Korean marines take part in an amphibious landing drill called the 'Ssangyong' exercise in Pohang, South Korea, in March 2023.REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

5: UK

Graduating cadets are seen prior to inspection by Britain's King Charles III on April 14, 2023.Dan Kitwood/Pool Photo via AP

4: India

An Indian army soldier shouts commands to his colleagues in October 2007.REUTERS/Danish Ismail

3: China

Warships and fighter jets of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy take part in a military display in the South China Sea in April 2018.REUTERS/Stringer

2: Russia

A military parade on Victory Day in Red Square, Moscow, May 2022, to mark the 77th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

1: US

Members of the 82nd Airborne Division of the US Army at Pope Field ahead of deployment to Poland from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in February 2022.AP Photo/Nathan Posner

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