20 Countries with the Strongest Armies in the World

4. South Korea

GDP (2023): $1.71 trillion

Defense Spending (2023): $47.92 billion

Active Manpower: 600,000

Tanks: 2,501

Armored Fighting Vehicles: 66,492

Self-propelled Artillery: 3,189

Towed Artillery: 4,863

Rocket Projectors: 581

Attack Helicopters: 112

Nuclear Weapons: None

Technological Capabilities Rank: 6

Weighted Ranking: 7.80

Given its tense ties with North Korea, Seoul has raised a strong army with over 600,000 active troops. It also has a large number of battle tanks, armored fighting vehicles, and attack helicopters. The country is ranked sixth in the world for technological advancement and is emerging as one of the world’s major arms exporters. The K2 Black Panther, a locally-developed Korean tank manufactured by Hyundai Rotem is often compared to General Dynamics’s Abrams tanks in terms of the protection it offers.