Iran is ranked 16th globally in the Military Power Index 2025, amid the escalation of regional tensions, while the United States tops the classification, and the index highlights the continuous impact of regional forces such as Israel and Iran on military dynamics in the Middle East.
The United States retained its location as the world’s strongest military force within the Global Military Forces Index 2025 published by the Global Firepower.
Both Israel and Iran, one of the most prominent players in the Middle East, came in the 15th and 16th consecutive ranks, which reflects the continued great impact on the dynamics of regional power amid continuous tensions.
This indicator is published annually, as it depends on the analysis of more than 60 indicators that include the size of manpower, equipment, financial resources, logistical efficiency, and geographical factors, to assess the military situation of each country.
The recent classifications reflect global transformations in defense preparations, strategic alliances and geopolitical tensions that constitute national security policies throughout the world. According to the report, the arrangement is not only determined based on the size of the armed forces or the defense budget, but also a comprehensive mixture of quantitative and qualitative measures. Also, countries are smaller thanks to their technological excellence, advanced training and strong defensive infrastructure, continuing to compete with the largest armies in global classifications.
This indicator has become a major reference for military monitors, analysts and decision makers in assessing global defense capabilities.
The Iranian army ranks globally 2025 in the Military Power Index 2025 (the first 34 countries)
| Arrangement | State | Arrangement | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US | 35 | Bangladesh |
| 2 | Russia | 36 | Holland |
| 3 | China | 37 | Myanmar |
| 4 | India | 38 | Norway |
| 5 | South Korea | 39 | Portugal |
| 6 | UK | 40 | South Africa |
| 7 | France | 41 | The Philippines |
| 8 | Japan | 42 | Malaysia |
| 9 | Türkiye | 43 | Iraq |
| 10 | Italy | 44 | Switzerland |
| 11 | Brazil | 45 | Denmark |
| 12 | Pakistan | 46 | Colombia |
| 13 | Indonesia | 47 | Chilean |
| 14 | Germany | 48 | Finland |
| 15 | Israel | 49 | Peru |
| 16 | Iran | 50 | Venezuela |
| 17 | Spain | 51 | Romania |
| 18 | Australia | 52 | Ethiopia |
| 19 | Egypt | 53 | Czech |
| 20 | Ukraine | 54 | The UAE |
| 21 | Poland | 55 | Hungary |
| 22 | Taiwan | 56 | Angola |
| 23 | Vietnam | 57 | Kazakhstan |
| 24 | Saudi Arabia | 58 | Uzbekistan |
| 25 | Thailand | 59 | Morocco |
| 26 | Algeria | 60 | Azerbaijan |
| 27 | Sweden | 61 | Belgium |
| 28 | Canada | 62 | Bulgaria |
| 29 | Singapore | 63 | Serbia |
| 30 | Greece | 64 | Syria |
| 31 | Nigeria | 65 | Ecuador |
| 32 | Mexico | 66 | Democratic Congo |
| 33 | Argentina | 67 | Cuba |
| 34 | north korea | 68 | Austria |
A military comparison between Iran and Israel in 2025: numbers and capabilities
With the escalation of tension between Israel and Iran against the background of the surprising attack launched by Tel Aviv on sites it said was nuclear and missile, and the Iranian response that followed, we highlight in this report compared to the numbers between the capabilities of the two countries of the two countries according to the statistics of the Global Fire Power website specializing in military affairs for the year 2025, including the population and the number of soldiers working in the service, in addition to the reserve forces and the air force For the two countries.
According to the world rankings, the Israeli army ranks fifteen in the world out of 145 countries, while the Iranian army is ranked sixteenth, reflecting the convergence of the level of military capabilities of both sides despite the differences in size and arsenal.
Iran’s population is about 88 million, including about 49 million people, a human force available, while the population of Israel is more than 9.4 million, including about 3.9 million available human force. As for the number of soldiers, the Iranian army includes about 960,000 individuals, including 610,000 active soldiers and 350,000 in the reserve forces, compared to 635 thousand soldiers in the Israeli army, including 170 thousand active soldiers and 465 thousand soldiers in the reserve.
As for the Air Force, Iran includes 551 diverse warplanes, including 186 fighters, 23 offensive aircraft, 87 military cargo planes and more than 100 training aircraft, in addition to 10 private tasks and 129 military helicopters, including 13 offensive helicopters. On the other hand, the Israeli army has 611 various war aircraft, including 240 fighters, 38 offensive aircraft, 13 military cargo aircraft, 155 training aircraft, 23 private tasks and 146 military helicopters, including 48 offensive helicopters.
On the airports level, Iran is superior to 319 airports suitable for 42 airports in Israel. As for the naval force, Iran has a fleet of 107 naval pieces, including 25 submarines, 21 periodic ships, 7 frigates, and 3 codes, while the Israeli fleet includes 62 naval pieces, including 5 submarines, 46 periodic ships and 7 codes.
Regarding the tank and armored weapons, Iran owns 1713 tanks, 65,825 armored vehicles, 392 self -motifist cannon, 2070 field cannons, 1517 missiles, while the Israeli army owns 1,300 tanks, 35,985 armored vehicles, 352 self -trans -cannon, 352 field artillery and 171 missiles.
As for the defense budget, Iran’s budget is more than 15.45 billion dollars, compared to $ 30.5 billion, the Israeli budget, which reflects the Israeli financial superiority despite the Iranian numerical superiority in some traditional weapons.
However, the balance of power between the two countries is not limited to the numerical side only, but also includes the Iranian missile arsenal that can threaten Israeli sites, in exchange for Israel’s ability to rely on global allies, led by the United States, which confirms its continued commitment to its security. Technological development and modernity also play a pivotal role in determining the level of military capabilities, as Israel is characterized by the possession of modern and advanced fighters, tanks and equipment that enhances its qualitative superiority despite its small geographical size compared to Iran.
The article appeared in the Iranian army arrangement globally 2025 first on the Arab defense site.
