Portugal vs Spain Military Comparison
Side-by-side military strength: active personnel, defense budgets, air force aircraft, and naval assets.
Portugal
30K active troops
$4B budget
VS
Spain
100K active troops
$10B budget
133
Tanks
327
1,080
Armored Vehicles
2,040
74
Artillery
152
0
Rocket Systems
0
24
Fighter Jets
139
33
Helicopters
164
41
Warships
46
2
Submarines
3
Nuclear Arsenal
Portugal
NON-NUCLEAR
0
WARHEADS
Spain
NON-NUCLEAR
0
WARHEADS
Estimated total warhead inventories — Federation of American Scientists / SIPRI
Defense Budget vs GDP
Historical defense spending and how it compares to each country's GDP. The % of GDP view normalises for economic size so smaller economies aren't drowned out by absolute dollar figures.
Defense Budget Over Time ($B)
Defense Budget as % of GDP
Source: World Bank Open Data API (MS.MIL.XPND.CD)
Military Active Personnel
Spain
LARGEST
120.35K
TROOPS
Portugal
22.4% OF LARGEST
27K
TROOPS
Spain has 4.46× the active personnel of Portugal
Air Force Total Aircraft
Spain
LARGEST
522
AIRCRAFT
Portugal
17.8% OF LARGEST
93
AIRCRAFT
Spain has 5.61× the aircraft of Portugal
Total Naval Assets
Land Forces — Detailed Metrics
| Metric |
Portugal
|
Spain
|
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 27,000 | 120,350 |
| Reserve Personnel | 211,700 | 15,150 |
| Total Military Personnel | 238,700 | 135,500 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $3,800,000,000 | $14,900,000,000 |
| Tanks | 133 | 327 |
| Armored Vehicles | 1,080 | 2,040 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 18 | 96 |
| Towed Artillery | 56 | 56 |
| Rocket Projectors | 0 | 0 |
Air Force — Detailed Metrics
| Metric |
Portugal
|
Spain
|
|---|---|---|
| Total Aircraft | 93 | 522 |
| Fighters | 24 | 139 |
| Attack Aircraft | 0 | 87 |
| Transport Aircraft | 19 | 43 |
| Trainer Aircraft | 17 | 89 |
| Helicopters | 33 | 164 |
| Attack Helicopters | 0 | 18 |
Naval Forces — Detailed Metrics
| Metric |
Portugal
|
Spain
|
|---|---|---|
| Total Naval Assets | 41 | 46 |
| Aircraft Carriers | 0 | 1 |
| Destroyers | 0 | 0 |
| Frigates | 5 | 11 |
| Corvettes | 0 | 0 |
| Submarines | 2 | 3 |
| Patrol Vessels | 26 | 23 |
| Mine Warfare Vessels | 0 | 6 |
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