Spain vs United Kingdom Military Comparison
Side-by-side military strength: active personnel, defense budgets, air force aircraft, and naval assets.
Spain
100K active troops
$10B budget
VS
United Kingdom
200K active troops
$70B budget
327
Tanks
227
2,040
Armored Vehicles
5,015
152
Artillery
215
0
Rocket Systems
44
139
Fighter Jets
137
164
Helicopters
332
46
Warships
76
3
Submarines
11
Nuclear Arsenal
United Kingdom
LARGEST
225
WARHEADS
Spain
NON-NUCLEAR
0
WARHEADS
Warheads Over Time
Estimated total warhead inventories — Federation of American Scientists / SIPRI
Defense Budget vs GDP
Historical defense spending and how it compares to each country's GDP. The % of GDP view normalises for economic size so smaller economies aren't drowned out by absolute dollar figures.
Defense Budget Over Time ($B)
Defense Budget as % of GDP
Source: World Bank Open Data API (MS.MIL.XPND.CD)
Military Active Personnel
United Kingdom
LARGEST
153.29K
TROOPS
Spain
78.5% OF LARGEST
120.35K
TROOPS
United Kingdom has 1.27× the active personnel of Spain
Air Force Total Aircraft
United Kingdom
LARGEST
733
AIRCRAFT
Spain
71.2% OF LARGEST
522
AIRCRAFT
United Kingdom has 1.40× the aircraft of Spain
Total Naval Assets
Land Forces — Detailed Metrics
| Metric |
Spain
|
United Kingdom
|
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 120,350 | 153,290 |
| Reserve Personnel | 15,150 | 81,500 |
| Total Military Personnel | 135,500 | 234,790 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $14,900,000,000 | $68,400,000,000 |
| Tanks | 327 | 227 |
| Armored Vehicles | 2,040 | 5,015 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 96 | 89 |
| Towed Artillery | 56 | 126 |
| Rocket Projectors | 0 | 44 |
Air Force — Detailed Metrics
| Metric |
Spain
|
United Kingdom
|
|---|---|---|
| Total Aircraft | 522 | 733 |
| Fighters | 139 | 137 |
| Attack Aircraft | 87 | 143 |
| Transport Aircraft | 43 | 288 |
| Trainer Aircraft | 89 | 175 |
| Helicopters | 164 | 332 |
| Attack Helicopters | 18 | 50 |
Naval Forces — Detailed Metrics
| Metric |
Spain
|
United Kingdom
|
|---|---|---|
| Total Naval Assets | 46 | 76 |
| Aircraft Carriers | 1 | 2 |
| Destroyers | 0 | 6 |
| Frigates | 11 | 13 |
| Corvettes | 0 | 0 |
| Submarines | 3 | 11 |
| Patrol Vessels | 23 | 22 |
| Mine Warfare Vessels | 6 | 13 |
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