Country A
Cuba
#53 global · #4 in North America
3.1Military Strength Score / 100
2026 MILITARY DATA COMPARISON
Cuba vs North Korea Military Power
A structured comparison across 27 available indicators. Country A is always cyan; Country B is always amber. Larger inventories are not predictions of combat outcomes.
Country B
North Korea
#5 global · #3 in Asia
36.3Military Strength Score / 100
MSS gap33.2 pointsNorth Korea has the higher score
Reported values higherA 3 · B 231 tied; “higher” does not always mean “better”
Global positionsA #53 · B #5of 145 country profiles
Change the two countries
Military expenditure trend
Nominal current US dollars from World Bank WDI indicator MS.MIL.XPND.CD. The underlying series is attributed to SIPRI and may differ from the inventory-edition budget above.
A · CubaB · North Korea
A · 2018$128.6M
B · 2018$1.6B
A
CubaCYAN COLUMN
B
North KoreaAMBER COLUMN
Country context
PopulationNorth Korea +15,633,833
A · Cuba10,937,203World Bank 2025
B · North Korea26,571,036World Bank 2025
Nominal GDPCuba +$92.4B
A · Cuba$107.4BWorld Bank 2020
B · North Korea$15.0BWorld Bank unavailable
Land areaNorth Korea +16,610 km²
A · Cuba103,800 km²World Bank 2023
B · North Korea120,410 km²World Bank 2023
Defense budget per residentCuba +$123.1
A · Cuba$301.9Derived · population 2025
B · North Korea$178.8Derived · population 2025
Active troops per 1,000 residentsNorth Korea +45.11
A · Cuba4.57Derived · population 2025
B · North Korea49.68Derived · population 2025
Manpower
Active troopsNorth Korea +1,270,000
A · Cuba50,000
B · North Korea1,320,000
Reserve troopsNorth Korea +520,000
A · Cuba40,000
B · North Korea560,000
ParamilitaryCuba +1,045,000
A · Cuba1,145,000
B · North Korea100,000
Air force
Total aircraftNorth Korea +817
A · Cuba20
B · North Korea837
Fighter aircraftNorth Korea +330
A · Cuba11
B · North Korea341
Attack aircraftNorth Korea +114
A · Cuba0
B · North Korea114
Transport aircraftNorth Korea +177
A · Cuba0
B · North Korea177
HelicoptersNorth Korea +192
A · Cuba13
B · North Korea205
Attack helicoptersNorth Korea +16
A · Cuba4
B · North Korea20
Navy
Total naval assetsNorth Korea +252
A · Cuba12
B · North Korea264
Aircraft carriersSame reported value
A · Cuba0
B · North Korea0
DestroyersNorth Korea +2
A · Cuba0
B · North Korea2
SubmarinesNorth Korea +24
A · Cuba0
B · North Korea24
FrigatesNorth Korea +1
A · Cuba1
B · North Korea2
Army and ground forces
TanksNorth Korea +4,701
A · Cuba194
B · North Korea4,895
Armored vehiclesNorth Korea +40,000
A · Cuba7,792
B · North Korea47,792
Self-propelled artilleryNorth Korea +1,160
A · Cuba140
B · North Korea1,300
Towed artilleryNorth Korea +336
A · Cuba364
B · North Korea700
Multiple-launch rocket systemsNorth Korea +1,300
A · Cuba200
B · North Korea1,500
Financial and strategic
Defense budgetNorth Korea +$1.4B
A · Cuba$3.3B
B · North Korea$4.8B
Defense budget share of GDPNorth Korea +26.7%
A · Cuba4.1%
B · North Korea30.8%
Estimated nuclear warheadsNorth Korea +60
A · Cuba0
B · North Korea60
What this comparison cannot tell you
A larger reported inventory or MSS score is not a prediction of military success. Readiness, training, maintenance, geography, logistics, technology quality, alliances, doctrine and objectives sit outside this table.
Review sources, weights and limitations →Country inventory baseline: 2026 edition. Population, GDP, land-area context and military-expenditure trends: World Bank WDI, with the observation year shown at the decision point. Nuclear totals: FAS beginning-of-2026 estimates. Source links and structure reviewed August 25, 2026.