Egypt and Algeria Lead Africa in Military Vehicles Beating Most NATO Nations in Armored Strength

24/7 Wall St. Insights:

Egypt and Algeria have some of the strongest militaries on the African continent
Egypt is home to one of the largest armored forces in the world, surpassing a number of NATO countries in just tank numbers alone
Algeria rivals Egypt in terms of armored forces as a result of its strategic military partnership with Russia
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Egypt and Algeria stand as the leading military powers in Africa, particularly when it comes to armored vehicle strength. Both countries have invested heavily in tanks, artillery, and armored personnel carriers in general. Considering this and the investment in their air forces and navies, these two militaries are some of the most powerful on the continent.

Egypt is home to one of the largest armored forces in the world, surpassing a number of NATO countries in tank numbers. However, this is only true when counting raw numbers, which include outdated and unused tanks, as well as other military vehicles that are not officially tanks. Meanwhile, NATO armies rely on smaller numbers of far more advanced tanks.

One of the main components of Egypt’s armored force is the M1 Abrams main battle tank. There are over 1,000 of these units under Egypt’s command. In addition to the Abrams, Egypt’s armored forces also include older models like the Soviet-era T-62 and T-55 tanks. Further complementing these, Egypt boasts a number of towed and self-propelled artillery, outside of basic military vehicles.

Algeria rivals Egypt in terms of armored forces as a result of its strategic military partnership with Russia. While Egypt may have favorable relations with the U.S., Algeria’s relations with Russia have proven fruitful too. (Which countries support Russia in the conflict with Ukraine.)

The Algerian army fields over 500 T-90SA tanks, which are some of the most advanced tanks in the world, according to Russian President Vladmir Putin. Algeria also has a number of T-72 tanks, complementing its fleet of armored personnel carriers. At the same time, Algeria has a number of artillery systems, such as the BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher.

Both of these countries are at the top of their game in terms of armored vehicles. Some other nations on the African continent have formidable forces, while others do not measure up.

24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at the arsenals of African nations. To identify the African countries with the most military vehicles, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed 2024 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Countries were ranked on the total number of vehicles in their arsenal. We included supplemental information regarding the total tanks, artillery and MLRS units, as well as each country’s overall military strength score.

This post was updated on August 24, 2025 to clarify raw number stats and the uncertainty of information regarding Sudan, Eritrea, and Somalia.

Why Are We Covering This?

Understanding the military dynamics of Africa is important due to the continent’s strategic geopolitical significance. The continent is known for some instability, and military power is one way of ensuring stability both political and economical. Many of these African nations are growing rapidly and the continued stability of this region is crucial.

38. Sierra Leone

Total military vehicles: 100
Total tanks: 0
Total artillery: 0
Total MLRS: 0
Military strength score and world rank: 3.5433 – #138 out of 145

37. Benin

Total military vehicles: 150
Total tanks: 0
Total artillery: 0
Total MLRS: 0
Military strength score and world rank: 3.8912 – #141 out of 145

36. Central African Republic

Total military vehicles: 228
Total tanks: 0
Total artillery: 0
Total MLRS: 0
Military strength score and world rank: 3.5316 – #137 out of 145

35. Madagascar

Total military vehicles: 232
Total tanks: 12
Total artillery: 0
Total MLRS: 0
Military strength score and world rank: 3.0655 – #133 out of 145

34. Liberia

Total military vehicles: 325
Total tanks: 0
Total artillery: 0
Total MLRS: 0
Military strength score and world rank: 3.7262 – #140 out of 145

33. Democratic Republic of Congo

Total military vehicles: 458
Total tanks: 210
Total artillery: 135
Total MLRS: 50
Military strength score and world rank: 1.2491 – #73 out of 145

32. Ivory Coast

Total military vehicles: 476
Total tanks: 10
Total artillery: 4
Total MLRS: 6
Military strength score and world rank: 1.9869 – #98 out of 145

31. Zambia

Total military vehicles: 506
Total tanks: 38
Total artillery: 46
Total MLRS: 35
Military strength score and world rank: 1.9851 – #97 out of 145

30. Republic of the Congo

Democratic+Republic+of+Congo+military | MEDFLAG 2010, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, September 2010

Total military vehicles: 519
Total tanks: 32
Total artillery: 37
Total MLRS: 72
Military strength score and world rank: 2.7282 – #122 out of 145

29. Botswana

Total military vehicles: 587
Total tanks: 20
Total artillery: 48
Total MLRS: 20
Military strength score and world rank: 2.8353 – #126 out of 145

28. Mali

Total military vehicles: 647
Total tanks: 20
Total artillery: 10
Total MLRS: 25
Military strength score and world rank: 2.1115 – #106 out of 145

27. Tanzania

Total military vehicles: 712
Total tanks: 21
Total artillery: 0
Total MLRS: 0
Military strength score and world rank: 2.0587 – #103 out of 145

26. Gabon

Total military vehicles: 848
Total tanks: 0
Total artillery: 4
Total MLRS: 28
Military strength score and world rank: 2.9517 – #132 out of 145

25. Cameroon

Total military vehicles: 850
Total tanks: 0
Total artillery: 70
Total MLRS: 20
Military strength score and world rank: 2.0599 – #104 out of 145

24. Mozambique

Mozambique+tanks | N/A

Total military vehicles: 872
Total tanks: 60
Total artillery: 104
Total MLRS: 12
Military strength score and world rank: 1.8377 – #92 out of 145

23. Niger

Total military vehicles: 912
Total tanks: 0
Total artillery: 0
Total MLRS: 0
Military strength score and world rank: 2.5988 – #121 out of 145

22. Mauritania

Total military vehicles: 1,000
Total tanks: 0
Total artillery: 0
Total MLRS: 0
Military strength score and world rank: 2.9277 – #131 out of 145

21. Senegal

Total military vehicles: 1,104
Total tanks: 0
Total artillery: 20
Total MLRS: 6
Military strength score and world rank: 2.9117 – #130 out of 145

20. Burkina Faso

Burkina+Faso+military | 190216-A-XR613-421

Total military vehicles: 1,112
Total tanks: 0
Total artillery: 12
Total MLRS: 5
Military strength score and world rank: 2.8501 – #127 out of 145

19. Chad

Chad tanks | War in the desert, Sahara

Total military vehicles: 1,568
Total tanks: 90
Total artillery: 25
Total MLRS: 21
Military strength score and world rank: 1.8607 – #93 out of 145

18. Ghana

Total military vehicles: 1,656
Total tanks: 0
Total artillery: 6
Total MLRS: 15
Military strength score and world rank: 2.2358 – #113 out of 145

17. Somalia (numbers may not be precise)

Total military vehicles: 1,856
Total tanks: 0
Total artillery: 0
Total MLRS: 0
Military strength score and world rank: 3.9006 – #142 out of 145

16. South Sudan

Total military vehicles: 1,920
Total tanks: 55
Total artillery: 20
Total MLRS: 10
Military strength score and world rank: 2.4376 – #119 out of 145

15. Zimbabwe

Total military vehicles: 2,412
Total tanks: 20
Total artillery: 0
Total MLRS: 0
Military strength score and world rank: 2.0352 – #101 out of 145

14. Namibia

Namibia military | Soldier with machine gun with national flag of Namibia

Total military vehicles: 2,674
Total tanks: 7
Total artillery: 50
Total MLRS: 7
Military strength score and world rank: 2.7652 – #124 out of 145

13. Libya

Libya tanks | A T-55 tank destroyed by NATO forces in the desert north of Ajadabiya, Libya.

Total military vehicles: 2,890
Total tanks: 300
Total artillery: 75
Total MLRS: 55
Military strength score and world rank: 1.4449 – #79 out of 145

12. Uganda

Total military vehicles: 3,162
Total tanks: 130
Total artillery: 32
Total MLRS: 12
Military strength score and world rank: 2.2405 – #114 out of 145

11. Eritrea (numbers may not be precise)

Total military vehicles: 3,512
Total tanks: 1,756
Total artillery: 210
Total MLRS: 219
Military strength score and world rank: 2.4152 – #117 out of 145

10. Sudan (numbers may not be precise)

Total military vehicles: 3,648
Total tanks: 233
Total artillery: 200
Total MLRS: 343
Military strength score and world rank: 1.4119 – #76 out of 145

9. Kenya

Total military vehicles: 4,856
Total tanks: 188
Total artillery: 71
Total MLRS: 0
Military strength score and world rank: 1.7629 – #89 out of 145

8. Angola

Angola military | Angolan military force, army or war concept. 3D rendering isolated on white background

Total military vehicles: 5,500
Total tanks: 310
Total artillery: 580
Total MLRS: 123
Military strength score and world rank: 0.8702 – #55 out of 145

7. Tunisia

Total military vehicles: 6,400
Total tanks: 140
Total artillery: 108
Total MLRS: 0
Military strength score and world rank: 1.2881 – #74 out of 145

6. Nigeria

Nigeria+military+aircraft | SEPECAT "Jaguar" XX818 from 238 Squadron in hanger 3 at RAF Cosford

Total military vehicles: 6,404
Total tanks: 343
Total artillery: 371
Total MLRS: 37
Military strength score and world rank: 0.5619 – #39 out of 145

5. Ethiopia

Total military vehicles: 10,028
Total tanks: 680
Total artillery: 713
Total MLRS: 79
Military strength score and world rank: 0.7938 – #49 out of 145

4. South Africa

South+Africa+tanks | USARAF Command Sergeant Major Visits South Africa

Total military vehicles: 12,140
Total tanks: 195
Total artillery: 153
Total MLRS: 101
Military strength score and world rank: 0.4632 – #33 out of 145

3. Morocco

Total military vehicles: 13,710
Total tanks: 1,564
Total artillery: 871
Total MLRS: 208
Military strength score and world rank: 1.0081 – #61 out of 145

2. Algeria

Total military vehicles: 35,990
Total tanks: 1,632
Total artillery: 707
Total MLRS: 236
Military strength score and world rank: 0.3589 – #26 out of 145

1. Egypt

Total military vehicles: 77,596
Total tanks: 5,340
Total artillery: 3,046
Total MLRS: 1,119
Military strength score and world rank: 0.2283 – #15 out of 145

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Author: Chris Lange

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