In late October, a paramilitary force in Darfur, western Sudan, known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), closed in on full control of the city of Al‑Fashir after an 18-month siege, forcing the government army to retreat and surrounding thousands of troops. The takeover raises fears of a de-facto split of Sudan along east-west lines, with Darfur becoming a base for RSF’s parallel authority, and the conflict potentially escalating further nationwide. Civilians face escalating danger: tens of thousands have been displaced, many appear to be detained by the RSF, and reports of possible reprisals against local populations are mounting. As of Thursday, RSF has agreed to a humanitarian truce proposed by a U.S.-led mediator group known as the Quad.
Military conflict throughout Africa is nothing new, but one African nation leads all the others with the size of its tank army. Combat tanks in Africa are a key component of a military’s strength and can help maintain the peace in volatile areas. Modern tanks are faster, more agile, and technologically advanced than the old workhorses of World War I which could only reach speeds of less than five miles per hour. Four countries on this list far outpace the others in terms of tank fleets: Morocco, Algeria, Eritrea, and Egypt. Read on to find out who leads the pack.
24/7 Wall St. identified the African countries with the most tanks using data from the 2024 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. We ranked countries on the total number of tanks in their arsenal. We included supplemental information regarding the total number of military vehicles, artillery, and MLRS units, as well as each country’s overall military strength score. Nations that did not have any tanks in their arsenal were excluded.
This post was updated on November 11, 2025 to provide the latest information regarding RSF and the city of Al‑Fashir.
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 instability. Military power is one way of ensuring stability, both political and economic. Many of these African nations are growing rapidly, and the continued stability of this region is crucial.
Here is a look at the African countries with the biggest tank armies.
26. Namibia
- Total tanks: 7
- Total military vehicles: 2,674
- Total artillery: 50
- Total MLRS: 7
- Military strength score: 2.7652 – #124 out of 145
25. Ivory Coast
- Total tanks: 10
- Total military vehicles: 476
- Total artillery: 4
- Total MLRS: 6
- Military strength score: 1.9869 – #98 out of 145
24. Madagascar
- Total tanks: 12
- Total military vehicles: 232
- Total artillery: 0
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score: 3.0655 – #133 out of 145
23. Zimbabwe
- Total tanks: 20
- Total military vehicles: 2,412
- Total artillery: 0
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score: 2.0352 – #101 out of 145
22. Mali
- Total tanks: 20
- Total military vehicles: 647
- Total artillery: 10
- Total MLRS: 25
- Military strength score: 2.1115 – #106 out of 145
21. Botswana
- Total tanks: 20
- Total military vehicles: 587
- Total artillery: 48
- Total MLRS: 20
- Military strength score: 2.8353 – #126 out of 145
20. Tanzania
- Total tanks: 21
- Total military vehicles: 712
- Total artillery: 0
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score: 2.0587 – #103 out of 145
19. Republic of the Congo
- Total tanks: 32
- Total military vehicles: 519
- Total artillery: 37
- Total MLRS: 72
- Military strength score: 2.7282 – #122 out of 145
18. Zambia
- Total tanks: 38
- Total military vehicles: 506
- Total artillery: 46
- Total MLRS: 35
- Military strength score: 1.9851 – #97 out of 145
17. South Sudan
- Total tanks: 55
- Total military vehicles: 1,920
- Total artillery: 20
- Total MLRS: 10
- Military strength score: 2.4376 – #119 out of 145
16. Mozambique
- Total tanks: 60
- Total military vehicles: 872
- Total artillery: 104
- Total MLRS: 12
- Military strength score: 1.8377 – #92 out of 145
15. Chad
- Total tanks: 90
- Total military vehicles: 1,568
- Total artillery: 25
- Total MLRS: 21
- Military strength score: 1.8607 – #93 out of 145
14. Uganda
- Total tanks: 130
- Total military vehicles: 3,162
- Total artillery: 32
- Total MLRS: 12
- Military strength score: 2.2405 – #114 out of 145
13. Tunisia
- Total tanks: 140
- Total military vehicles: 6,400
- Total artillery: 108
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score: 1.2881 – #74 out of 145
12. Kenya
- Total tanks: 188
- Total military vehicles: 4,856
- Total artillery: 71
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score: 1.7629 – #89 out of 145
11. South Africa
- Total tanks: 195
- Total military vehicles: 12,140
- Total artillery: 153
- Total MLRS: 101
- Military strength score: 0.4632 – #33 out of 145
10. Democratic Republic of Congo
- Total tanks: 210
- Total military vehicles: 458
- Total artillery: 135
- Total MLRS: 50
- Military strength score: 1.2491 – #73 out of 145
9. Sudan
- Total tanks: 233
- Total military vehicles: 3,648
- Total artillery: 200
- Total MLRS: 343
- Military strength score: 1.4119 – #76 out of 145
8. Libya
- Total tanks: 300
- Total military vehicles: 2,890
- Total artillery: 75
- Total MLRS: 55
- Military strength score: 1.4449 – #79 out of 145
7. Angola
- Total tanks: 310
- Total military vehicles: 5,500
- Total artillery: 580
- Total MLRS: 123
- Military strength score: 0.8702 – #55 out of 145
6. Nigeria
- Total tanks: 343
- Total military vehicles: 6,404
- Total artillery: 371
- Total MLRS: 37
- Military strength score: 0.5619 – #39 out of 145
5. Ethiopia
- Total tanks: 680
- Total military vehicles: 10,028
- Total artillery: 713
- Total MLRS: 79
- Military strength score: 0.7938 – #49 out of 145
4. Morocco
- Total tanks: 1,564
- Total military vehicles: 13,710
- Total artillery: 871
- Total MLRS: 208
- Military strength score: 1.0081 – #61 out of 145
3. Algeria
- Total tanks: 1,632
- Total military vehicles: 35,990
- Total artillery: 707
- Total MLRS: 236
- Military strength score: 0.3589 – #26 out of 145
2. Eritrea
- Total tanks: 1,756
- Total military vehicles: 3,512
- Total artillery: 210
- Total MLRS: 219
- Military strength score: 2.4152 – #117 out of 145
1. Egypt
- Total tanks: 5,340
- Total military vehicles: 77,596
- Total artillery: 3,046
- Total MLRS: 1,119
- Military strength score: 0.2283 – #15 out of 145
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