Nigeria Drops In Global Military Ranking, Now 39th Worldwide

The Nigerian Armed Forces have dropped three places in the 2024 global military rankings, according to the latest report by Global Firepower.

The new ranking places Nigeria 39th out of 145 countries reviewed, marking a decline from its 36th position in 2023 and 35th in 2022.

This two-year consecutive slide comes despite significant investments in military hardware, including the acquisition of fighter jets and other combat enablers. The military has also reported successes in combating terrorist activities within the country over the same period.

The report also reveals that Nigeria has fallen from third to fourth position among African countries, reflecting a shift in regional military dynamics.

For the 18th consecutive year, the United States maintained its position as the top-ranked military globally.

According to GFP, the United States showcases “commanding values in many major material, financial, and resource categories.”

The USA is followed by Russia, China, and India, ranked second, third, and fourth, respectively.

South Korea is ranked fifth, followed by the United Kingdom (6th), Japan (7th), Turkey (8th), Pakistan (9th), and Italy (10th). The top 15 is completed by France (11th), Brazil (12th), Indonesia (13th), Iran (14th), and Egypt (15th).

Australia, Israel, Ukraine, Germany, and Spain hold the 16th to 20th positions, respectively.

In Africa, Egypt is ranked first, followed by Algeria, South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Angola, Morocco, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tunisia, and Sudan, in that order.

According to the report, over 60 factors were considered in determining the scores given to countries.

The GFP report stated, “The finalised Global Firepower ranking below utilises over 60 individual factors to determine a given nation’s PowerIndex (‘PwrIndx’) score, with categories ranging from the quantity of military units and financial standing to logistical capabilities and geography.

“Our unique, in-house formula allows smaller, more technologically advanced nations to compete with larger, less-developed powers. Special modifiers, in the form of bonuses and penalties, are applied to further refine the list, which is compiled annually.

“For 2024, Nigeria is ranked 39th out of the 145 countries considered for the annual GFP review. The nation holds a PwrIndx score of 0.5619 (a score of 0.0000 is considered ‘perfect’). This entry was last reviewed on 01/09/2024.

“PwrIndx: Each nation is assessed on individual and collective values processed through an in-house formula to generate its ‘PwrIndx’ (Power Index) score. Some values are estimated when official numbers are unavailable.”