15 most powerful militaries in Africa you should know

In the 2023 Military Strength Ranking recently released by Global Firepower (GFP), 38 African countries were named among 145 countries in the annual defense review. 

The United States of America retained its number one spot, while Russia, China, India, and the United Kingdom ranked closely behind each other to complete the global top five.

According to the GFP, “the ranking evaluates over 60 factors in its in-house formula, relating to prolonged offensive or defensive military campaigns, to determine a given nation’s Power Index (‘PwrIndx’) score. This provides the final ranking while allowing smaller, more technologically-advanced, nations to compete with larger, less-developed ones.”

Egypt has the most powerful military in Africa, with a military power index of 0.2224, while Liberia, Somalia, and Benin have the weakest military in Africa, ranking at 141, 142, and 144 on a global scale, with power index scores of 4.0006, 4.0196, and 4.1269 respectively.

Below are the fifteen highest-ranked military powers in Africa with their Power Index (‘PwrIndx’) scores, according to Global Firepower (GFP).

Note: A power index score of 0.0000 is considered “perfect.”