Although South America is not known for being a global hotspot in terms of ongoing armed conflict, it is home to some of the strongest militaries in the world. There are military coups from time to time in South America, but not on the scale of Africa. Even withstanding some political turmoil and upheaval, a few countries have built up sizable military forces over the years that exert control and help stabilize the continent. (These are the strongest militaries in Africa.)
Here, 24/7 Wall St. is looking at some of the strongest military forces on the South American continent. To determine the countries with the strongest military might in South America, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed 2024 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Global Firepower ranked 145 countries based on their PowerIndex, a composite of over 60 measures in categories such as military might, financials, logistical capability, and geography. The smaller the PowerIndex value the more powerful a nation’s theoretical conventional fighting capability is. We included supplemental information regarding active military personnel, military aircraft, vehicles, and naval power as well. We included supplemental information regarding active military personnel, military aircraft, vehicles, and naval power as well.
Brazil is easily the strongest nation, militarily speaking, on the South American continent. It has by far the largest standing army with roughly 360,000 personnel in its employ. Aside from this, Brazil boasts the largest air force on the continent as well with over 600 aircraft. Although it does not have the largest navy, it still has a sizable force comparatively to other nations in the region. (The rise of the BRICS economies beyond the sway of the U.S. and Europe.)
Coming in near the top of the list as well is Colombia which has the second largest standing army and the largest navy. Its air force has over 400 aircraft in service, with anything ranging from combat aircraft to helicopters.
Here is a look at the strongest militaries in South America:
11. Suriname
Source: thenationalguard / Flickr
- Military strength score: 3.9038
- Active military personnel: 2,000
- Total military aircraft: 3
- Total military vehicles: 650
- Total navy ships and submarines: 16
10. Uruguay
Source: Andrés Franchi Ugart / Wikimedia Commons
- Military strength score: 1.9695
- Active military personnel: 25,000
- Total military aircraft: 43
- Total military vehicles: 3,993
- Total navy ships and submarines: 11
9. Paraguay
Source: pabst_ell / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
- Military strength score: 1.7053
- Active military personnel: 15,650
- Total military aircraft: 41
- Total military vehicles: 1,936
- Total navy ships and submarines: 0
8. Bolivia
Source: archer10 / Flickr
- Military strength score: 1.4851
- Active military personnel: 40,000
- Total military aircraft: 63
- Total military vehicles: 452
- Total navy ships and submarines: 0
7. Ecuador
- Military strength score: 1.2388
- Active military personnel: 41,250
- Total military aircraft: 110
- Total military vehicles: 5,662
- Total navy ships and submarines: 27
6. Venezuela
Source: Oscar Sabetta / Getty Images
- Military strength score: 0.9447
- Active military personnel: 109,000
- Total military aircraft: 242
- Total military vehicles: 14,966
- Total navy ships and submarines: 32
5. Peru
Source: feserc / Flickr
- Military strength score: 0.8475
- Active military personnel: 120,000
- Total military aircraft: 258
- Total military vehicles: 7,896
- Total navy ships and submarines: 69
4. Chile
Source: Solange_Z / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
- Military strength score: 0.8128
- Active military personnel: 80,000
- Total military aircraft: 289
- Total military vehicles: 9,492
- Total navy ships and submarines: 130
3. Colombia
Source: dalomo84 / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Military strength score: 0.7347
- Active military personnel: 293,200
- Total military aircraft: 434
- Total military vehicles: 2,724
- Total navy ships and submarines: 237
2. Argentina
Source: nickalbi / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Military strength score: 0.3823
- Active military personnel: 108,000
- Total military aircraft: 229
- Total military vehicles: 21,724
- Total navy ships and submarines: 41
1. Brazil
Source: thenationalguard / Flickr
- Military strength score: 0.1944
- Active military personnel: 360,000
- Total military aircraft: 628
- Total military vehicles: 44,044
- Total navy ships and submarines: 134
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