Top 10 Countries in Africa With Strongest Military

Egypt, Algeria, South Africa, Nigeria, and Ethiopia are the most powerful military nations in Africa, according to the recently released Global Firepower Index 2023, with Egypt making it into the top 20 globally.

The US military ratings website Global Firepower (GFP) on 6 January published its 2023 Global Firepower Index - a ranking of military powers for the year.

This ranking of 145 world powers uses more than 60 criteria to determine a nation's PowerIndex ("PwrIndx") score based on factors ranging from the number of military units and financial status to logistical capabilities and geography.

Other criteria include the number of active military personnel, naval strength, availability of fuel for operations, and the number of fighter aircraft.

Africa's Top 10

According to GFP, Egypt is the leading military power in Africa. On a global scale, it is in 14th place - the only African nation to make it into the top 20.

Algeria (26th in the world) is the second-largest military power in Africa. It is followed by South Africa (33rd globally), Nigeria (36th), Ethiopia (49th), Angola (55th), Morocco (61st), DR Congo (72nd), Tunisia (73rd), and Sudan (75th).

The above-named countries make up the top 10 of Africa's major military powers out of a total of 38 countries.

The lowest-ranking African country on the list, Benin, ranks second to last on the GFP list.

World Leaders

The United States continues to hold top spot globally. Russia is ranked second, and China comes in third.

These three countries outrank India and the United Kingdom.