Army / Ground Forces
- Tanks
- 0
- Armored vehicles
- 3,378
- Self-propelled artillery
- 0
- Towed artillery
- 31
- MLRS
- 0
2026 military profile
New Zealand Military Power
Oceania · Rank #121 of 145
0.5Strength Scoreout of 100 — #121 globally
How this score is calculatedNew Zealand military overview
In the MilitaryDex 2026 data edition, New Zealand ranks #121 of 145 countries with an MSS score of 0.5/100. The profile reports 10,050 active personnel, 47 total aircraft, 0 tanks and 6 naval assets, supported by an estimated annual defense budget of $2.5B.
Its highest normalized MSS category is Navy (1/100); its lowest is Manpower (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 2
- Missing data
- Shown as N/A
KEY MILITARY STATISTICS
Active troops
10,050
↓94% vs avg
Reserve troops
3,300
Total aircraft
47
↓87% vs avg
Naval assets
6
↓87% vs avg
Defense budget
$2.5B
Nuclear warheads
0
Regional and population context
Rank in Oceania
#2
of 2 profiles
Population
5,324,700
World Bank 2025
Nominal GDP
$264.1B
World Bank 2025
Land area
263,310 km²
World Bank 2023
Budget per resident
$461.237
derived from reported budget and population
Active troops per 1,000
1.89
population-normalized
Regional medians
34,480 troops
197.5 aircraft
Army, air force and navy inventory
Air Force
- Total aircraft
- 47
- Fighters
- 0
- Attack aircraft
- 0
- Transport aircraft
- 26
- Helicopters
- 21
- Attack helicopters
- 0
Navy
- Total vessels
- 6
- Aircraft carriers
- 0
- Destroyers
- 0
- Submarines
- 0
- Frigates
- 2
- Patrol vessels
- 4
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)0/100
Air Force (20% weight)0/100
Navy (15% weight)1/100
Army (15% weight)0/100
Financial (15% weight)1/100
Nuclear (10% weight)0/100
Compare New Zealand
New Zealand military power FAQ
What is New Zealand's military rank in 2026?
MilitaryDex ranks New Zealand #121 of 145 countries using its inventory-based MSS formula. This is a MilitaryDex calculation, not an official government ranking.
How large are New Zealand's armed forces?
The current profile reports 10,050 active personnel, 3,300 reserve personnel and 300 paramilitary personnel.
Does a higher score mean New Zealand 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.