World Military Power
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South Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa · Pretoria

Rank #45 of 173

57.5Strength score

Photos

U.S. Army Africa commander visits South Africa March 2010 (4440459420)
U.S. Army Africa commander visits South Africa March 2010 (4440459420)US Army Africa from Vicenza, Italy · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
South African soldiers aboard an Indian Navy ship
South African soldiers aboard an Indian Navy shipMinistry of Defence, Government of India · GODL-India · Wikimedia Commons
Avro 716 Shackleton MR3, South Africa - Air Force AN1339435
Avro 716 Shackleton MR3, South Africa - Air Force AN1339435Oleg V. Belyakov - AirTeamImages · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Strength by area

  • Finance79
  • Air power48
  • Manpower75
  • Land forces57
  • Naval power54
  • Nuclear0

Finance

Defence budget
$3.2B #55
Budget as % of GDP
0.74% #142
Spending per person
$49 #108
GDP
$427.2B #39
Population
64,747,319 #24

Manpower

Active personnel
69,200 #60
Reserve personnel
15,050 #35
Paramilitary
0
Total personnel
84,250 #58

Land forces

Tanks
70 #40
Armoured vehicles
606 #26
Self-propelled artillery
15 #40
Towed artillery
6 #41
Rocket launchers (MLRS)
6 #39

Air power

Total aircraft
194 #40
Fighter jets
25 #42
Attack aircraft & bombers
0
Transport aircraft
24 #36
Helicopters
84 #36
Attack helicopters
11 #20

Naval power

Total naval vessels
43 #34
Aircraft carriers
0
Helicopter carriers
0
Submarines
3 #31
Destroyers
0
Frigates
4 #33
Corvettes
0
Patrol vessels
36 #26

Nuclear

Nuclear warheads
0

Weapons South Africa uses (33)

See all →
Saab JAS 39 GripenSaab JAS 39 GripenFighter aircraft North American P-51 MustangNorth American P-51 MustangFighter aircraft Hawker HurricaneHawker HurricaneFighter aircraft Dassault Mirage IIIDassault Mirage IIIFighter aircraft Dassault Mirage F1Dassault Mirage F1Fighter aircraft StarstreakStarstreakSurface-to-air missiles RooivalkRooivalkAttack helicopters Airco DH.9Airco DH.9Bombers Junkers Ju 52/3mJunkers Ju 52/3mBombers Vickers WellesleyVickers WellesleyBombers Lockheed VenturaLockheed VenturaBombers Flower-class corvetteFlower-class corvetteCorvettes

Weapons made in South Africa (37)

See all →
RooivalkRooivalkAttack helicopters Vektor R4Vektor R4Assault rifles Milkor MGLMilkor MGLGrenade launchers Ratel IFVRatel IFVInfantry fighting vehicles UmkhontoUmkhontoSurface-to-air missiles Armsel StrikerArmsel StrikerShotguns CasspirCasspirMine-protected vehicles (MRAP) Denel NTW-20Denel NTW-20Sniper rifles Vektor CR-21Vektor CR-21Assault rifles Vektor SS-77Vektor SS-77Machine guns OlifantOlifantMain battle tanks Paramount MwariParamount MwariReconnaissance aircraft

Others in the region

  1. 37Nigeria60.1 VS
  2. 47Ethiopia51.5 VS
  3. 64Angola30.9 VS
  4. 66Congo, Dem. Rep.30.8 VS
  5. 82Sudan29.8 VS
  6. 83Uganda29.8 VS
  7. 87Eritrea29.5 VS
  8. 89Mali29.4 VS

Source

Budget, GDP, population and personnel: World Bank open data (SIPRI / IISS based). (Defence budget: 2025)

IISS Military Balance personnel via Wikipedia; equipment GlobalMilitary.net 2026 inventory · Year 2026 · ↗