Argentina vs Chile Military Comparison
Side-by-side military strength: active personnel, defense budgets, air force aircraft, and naval assets.
Argentina
70K active troops
$4B budget
VS
Chile
80K active troops
$6B budget
231
Tanks
200
828
Armored Vehicles
1,060
164
Artillery
195
0
Rocket Systems
32
43
Fighter Jets
46
41
Helicopters
117
42
Warships
69
3
Submarines
4
Nuclear Arsenal
Argentina
NON-NUCLEAR
0
WARHEADS
Chile
NON-NUCLEAR
0
WARHEADS
Estimated total warhead inventories — Federation of American Scientists / SIPRI
Defense Budget vs GDP
Historical defense spending and how it compares to each country's GDP. The % of GDP view normalises for economic size so smaller economies aren't drowned out by absolute dollar figures.
Defense Budget Over Time ($B)
Defense Budget as % of GDP
Source: World Bank Open Data API (MS.MIL.XPND.CD)
Military Active Personnel
Chile
LARGEST
77.2K
TROOPS
Argentina
93.4% OF LARGEST
72.1K
TROOPS
Chile has 1.07× the active personnel of Argentina
Air Force Total Aircraft
Argentina
LARGEST
258
AIRCRAFT
Chile
86.4% OF LARGEST
223
AIRCRAFT
Argentina has 1.16× the aircraft of Chile
Total Naval Assets
Land Forces — Detailed Metrics
| Metric |
Argentina
|
Chile
|
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 72,100 | 77,200 |
| Reserve Personnel | 0 | 40,000 |
| Total Military Personnel | 72,100 | 117,200 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $4,300,000,000 | $5,580,000,000 |
| Tanks | 231 | 200 |
| Armored Vehicles | 828 | 1,060 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 40 | 48 |
| Towed Artillery | 124 | 147 |
| Rocket Projectors | 0 | 32 |
Air Force — Detailed Metrics
| Metric |
Argentina
|
Chile
|
|---|---|---|
| Total Aircraft | 258 | 223 |
| Fighters | 43 | 46 |
| Attack Aircraft | 0 | 0 |
| Transport Aircraft | 35 | 25 |
| Trainer Aircraft | 41 | 35 |
| Helicopters | 41 | 117 |
| Attack Helicopters | 0 | 35 |
Naval Forces — Detailed Metrics
| Metric |
Argentina
|
Chile
|
|---|---|---|
| Total Naval Assets | 42 | 69 |
| Aircraft Carriers | 0 | 0 |
| Destroyers | 4 | 0 |
| Frigates | 6 | 8 |
| Corvettes | 0 | 0 |
| Submarines | 3 | 4 |
| Patrol Vessels | 18 | 24 |
| Mine Warfare Vessels | 0 | 6 |
See economy, trade, demographics, and more for this comparison.
View full Argentina vs Chile comparison →
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated June 2026.
Sources & methodology