Brazil vs Mexico Military Comparison
Side-by-side military strength: active personnel, defense budgets, air force aircraft, and naval assets.
Brazil
400K active troops
$20B budget
VS
Mexico
300K active troops
$7B budget
439
Tanks
0
1,896
Armored Vehicles
695
606
Artillery
375
180
Rocket Systems
0
43
Fighter Jets
33
151
Helicopters
273
112
Warships
189
5
Submarines
0
Nuclear Arsenal
Brazil
NON-NUCLEAR
0
WARHEADS
Mexico
NON-NUCLEAR
0
WARHEADS
Estimated total warhead inventories — Federation of American Scientists / SIPRI
Defense Budget vs GDP
Historical defense spending and how it compares to each country's GDP. The % of GDP view normalises for economic size so smaller economies aren't drowned out by absolute dollar figures.
Defense Budget Over Time ($B)
Defense Budget as % of GDP
Source: World Bank Open Data API (MS.MIL.XPND.CD)
Military Active Personnel
Brazil
LARGEST
366.5K
TROOPS
Mexico
75.6% OF LARGEST
277.15K
TROOPS
Brazil has 1.32× the active personnel of Mexico
Air Force Total Aircraft
Brazil
LARGEST
679
AIRCRAFT
Mexico
72.6% OF LARGEST
493
AIRCRAFT
Brazil has 1.38× the aircraft of Mexico
Total Naval Assets
Land Forces — Detailed Metrics
| Metric |
Brazil
|
Mexico
|
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 366,500 | 277,150 |
| Reserve Personnel | 1,340,000 | 81,500 |
| Total Military Personnel | 1,700,000 | 358,650 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $19,700,000,000 | $7,000,000,000 |
| Tanks | 439 | 0 |
| Armored Vehicles | 1,896 | 695 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 56 | 0 |
| Towed Artillery | 550 | 375 |
| Rocket Projectors | 180 | 0 |
Air Force — Detailed Metrics
| Metric |
Brazil
|
Mexico
|
|---|---|---|
| Total Aircraft | 679 | 493 |
| Fighters | 43 | 33 |
| Attack Aircraft | 57 | 0 |
| Transport Aircraft | 110 | 128 |
| Trainer Aircraft | 168 | 47 |
| Helicopters | 151 | 273 |
| Attack Helicopters | 12 | 0 |
Naval Forces — Detailed Metrics
| Metric |
Brazil
|
Mexico
|
|---|---|---|
| Total Naval Assets | 112 | 189 |
| Aircraft Carriers | 1 | 0 |
| Destroyers | 0 | 0 |
| Frigates | 6 | 8 |
| Corvettes | 3 | 0 |
| Submarines | 5 | 0 |
| Patrol Vessels | 42 | 143 |
| Mine Warfare Vessels | 6 | 0 |
See economy, trade, demographics, and more for this comparison.
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Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated June 2026.
Sources & methodology