Country A
Israel
#12 global · #1 in Middle East
16.0Military Strength Score / 100
2026 MILITARY DATA COMPARISON
Israel vs Iran 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
Iran
#13 global · #2 in Middle East
15.8Military Strength Score / 100
MSS gap0.2 pointsIsrael has the higher score
Reported values higherA 12 · B 132 tied; “higher” does not always mean “better”
Global positionsA #12 · B #13of 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 · IsraelB · Iran
A · 2024$46.5B
B · 2024$7.9B
A
IsraelCYAN COLUMN
B
IranAMBER COLUMN
Country context
PopulationIran +82,294,881
A · Israel10,122,800World Bank 2025
B · Iran92,417,681World Bank 2025
Nominal GDPIsrael +$248.1B
A · Israel$610.8BWorld Bank 2025
B · Iran$362.7BWorld Bank 2025
Land areaIran +1,600,860 km²
A · Israel21,640 km²World Bank 2023
B · Iran1,622,500 km²World Bank 2023
Defense budget per residentIsrael +$3.3K
A · Israel$3.4KDerived · population 2025
B · Iran$99.9Derived · population 2025
Active troops per 1,000 residentsIsrael +10.14
A · Israel16.74Derived · population 2025
B · Iran6.60Derived · population 2025
Manpower
Active troopsIran +440,500
A · Israel169,500
B · Iran610,000
Reserve troopsIsrael +115,000
A · Israel465,000
B · Iran350,000
ParamilitaryIran +185,000
A · Israel35,000
B · Iran220,000
Air force
Total aircraftIsrael +46
A · Israel597
B · Iran551
Fighter aircraftIsrael +51
A · Israel239
B · Iran188
Attack aircraftIsrael +24
A · Israel45
B · Iran21
Transport aircraftIran +27
A · Israel186
B · Iran213
HelicoptersIran +2
A · Israel127
B · Iran129
Attack helicoptersIsrael +35
A · Israel48
B · Iran13
Navy
Total naval assetsIsrael +22
A · Israel79
B · Iran57
Aircraft carriersSame reported value
A · Israel0
B · Iran0
DestroyersSame reported value
A · Israel0
B · Iran0
SubmarinesIran +19
A · Israel6
B · Iran25
FrigatesIran +7
A · Israel0
B · Iran7
Army and ground forces
TanksIran +1,375
A · Israel1,300
B · Iran2,675
Armored vehiclesIran +13,559
A · Israel62,380
B · Iran75,939
Self-propelled artilleryIran +101
A · Israel323
B · Iran424
Towed artilleryIran +1,632
A · Israel171
B · Iran1,803
Multiple-launch rocket systemsIran +1,322
A · Israel228
B · Iran1,550
Financial and strategic
Defense budgetIsrael +$25.4B
A · Israel$34.6B
B · Iran$9.2B
Defense budget share of GDPIsrael +6.7%
A · Israel7.3%
B · Iran0.6%
Estimated nuclear warheadsIsrael +90
A · Israel90
B · Iran0
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.