Army / Ground Forces
- Tanks
- 2,675
- Armored vehicles
- 75,939
- Self-propelled artillery
- 424
- Towed artillery
- 1,803
- MLRS
- 1,550
2026 military profile
Iran Military Power
Middle East · Rank #13 of 145
15.8Strength Scoreout of 100 — #13 globally
How this score is calculatedIran military overview
In the MilitaryDex 2026 data edition, Iran ranks #13 of 145 countries with an MSS score of 15.8/100. The profile reports 610,000 active personnel, 551 total aircraft, 2,675 tanks and 57 naval assets, supported by an estimated annual defense budget of $9.2B.
Its highest normalized MSS category is Army (31/100); its lowest is Nuclear (0/100). These are relative inventory scores, not assessments of readiness or combat effectiveness.
Profile scope
- Data edition
- 2026
- Indicators
- 29 fields
- Country set
- 145
- Regional rank
- #2 of 13
- Missing data
- Shown as N/A
KEY MILITARY STATISTICS
Active troops
610,000
↑276% vs avg
Reserve troops
350,000
Total aircraft
551
↑53% vs avg
Naval assets
57
↑22% vs avg
Defense budget
$9.2B
Nuclear warheads
0
Regional and population context
Rank in Middle East
#2
of 13 profiles
Population
92,417,681
World Bank 2025
Nominal GDP
$362.7B
World Bank 2025
Land area
1,622,500 km²
World Bank 2023
Budget per resident
$99.873
derived from reported budget and population
Active troops per 1,000
6.60
population-normalized
Regional medians
100,000 troops
263 aircraft
Army, air force and navy inventory
Air Force
- Total aircraft
- 551
- Fighters
- 188
- Attack aircraft
- 21
- Transport aircraft
- 213
- Helicopters
- 129
- Attack helicopters
- 13
Navy
- Total vessels
- 57
- Aircraft carriers
- 0
- Destroyers
- 0
- Submarines
- 25
- Frigates
- 7
- Patrol vessels
- 21
MSS category profile
Normalized against the largest value in the 2026 country set. The listed weight is each category's contribution to the overall score.
Manpower (25% weight)18/100
Air Force (20% weight)5/100
Navy (15% weight)14/100
Army (15% weight)31/100
Financial (15% weight)1/100
Nuclear (10% weight)0/100
Compare Iran
Iran military power FAQ
What is Iran's military rank in 2026?
MilitaryDex ranks Iran #13 of 145 countries using its inventory-based MSS formula. This is a MilitaryDex calculation, not an official government ranking.
How large are Iran's armed forces?
The current profile reports 610,000 active personnel, 350,000 reserve personnel and 220,000 paramilitary personnel.
Does a higher score mean Iran would win a war?
No. MSS summarizes selected inventory and spending figures. It does not model readiness, training, geography, alliances, logistics, doctrine, technology quality or political objectives.