Country A
Syria
#78 global · #12 in Middle East
1.7Military Strength Score / 100
2026 MILITARY DATA COMPARISON
Syria vs South 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
South Korea
#6 global · #4 in Asia
27.2Military Strength Score / 100
MSS gap25.5 pointsSouth Korea has the higher score
Reported values higherA 1 · B 242 tied; “higher” does not always mean “better”
Global positionsA #78 · B #6of 145 country profiles
Change the two countries
A
SyriaCYAN COLUMN
B
South KoreaAMBER COLUMN
Country context
PopulationSouth Korea +26,064,137
A · Syria25,620,427World Bank 2025
B · South Korea51,684,564World Bank 2025
Nominal GDPSouth Korea +$1.85T
A · Syria$23.7BWorld Bank 2022
B · South Korea$1.87TWorld Bank 2025
Land areaSyria +86,030 km²
A · Syria183,630 km²World Bank 2023
B · South Korea97,600 km²World Bank 2023
Defense budget per residentSouth Korea +$861.1
A · Syria$5.7Derived · population 2025
B · South Korea$866.8Derived · population 2025
Active troops per 1,000 residentsSouth Korea +4.80
A · Syria3.90Derived · population 2025
B · South Korea8.71Derived · population 2025
Manpower
Active troopsSouth Korea +350,000
A · Syria100,000
B · South Korea450,000
Reserve troopsSouth Korea +3,100,000
A · Syria0
B · South Korea3,100,000
ParamilitarySouth Korea +70,000
A · Syria50,000
B · South Korea120,000
Air force
Total aircraftSouth Korea +1,436
A · Syria104
B · South Korea1,540
Fighter aircraftSouth Korea +190
A · Syria52
B · South Korea242
Attack aircraftSouth Korea +93
A · Syria5
B · South Korea98
Transport aircraftSouth Korea +365
A · Syria8
B · South Korea373
HelicoptersSouth Korea +788
A · Syria39
B · South Korea827
Attack helicoptersSouth Korea +106
A · Syria7
B · South Korea113
Navy
Total naval assetsSouth Korea +161
A · Syria8
B · South Korea169
Aircraft carriersSame reported value
A · Syria0
B · South Korea0
DestroyersSouth Korea +14
A · Syria0
B · South Korea14
SubmarinesSouth Korea +22
A · Syria0
B · South Korea22
FrigatesSouth Korea +18
A · Syria0
B · South Korea18
Army and ground forces
TanksSouth Korea +1,663
A · Syria168
B · South Korea1,831
Armored vehiclesSouth Korea +98,724
A · Syria18,736
B · South Korea117,460
Self-propelled artillerySouth Korea +2,720
A · Syria60
B · South Korea2,780
Towed artillerySouth Korea +5,800
A · Syria0
B · South Korea5,800
Multiple-launch rocket systemsSouth Korea +525
A · Syria0
B · South Korea525
Financial and strategic
Defense budgetSouth Korea +$44.7B
A · Syria$145.9M
B · South Korea$44.8B
Defense budget share of GDPSouth Korea +1.6%
A · Syria0.1%
B · South Korea1.7%
Estimated nuclear warheadsSame reported value
A · Syria0
B · South Korea0
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.