Military profile
Benin Military Strength
Benin ranks #144 of 145 in the Global Firepower military strength ranking, with 5,000 active personnel. It spent $217 million on its military in 2025 (0.9% of GDP).
Benin armed forces in numbers
Personnel
- Active military personnel
- 5,000#135 of 145
- Reserve military personnel
- 0#84 of 145
- Paramilitary forces
- 0#113 of 145
- Army personnel
- 4,300#137 of 145
- Air force personnel
- 300#135 of 145
- Navy personnel
- 200#112 of 145
Air power
- Total military aircraft
- 2#137 of 145
- Fighter aircraft
- 0#95 of 145
- Attack aircraft
- 0#65 of 145
- Military helicopters
- 0#138 of 145
- Attack helicopters
- 0#79 of 145
Land forces
- Tanks
- 0#115 of 145
- Self-propelled artillery
- 0#96 of 145
- Towed artillery
- 0#107 of 145
- Rocket artillery
- 0#98 of 145
Naval power
- Aircraft carriers
- 0#8 of 113
- Destroyers
- 0#15 of 113
- Frigates
- 0#56 of 113
- Corvettes
- 0#47 of 113
- Submarines
- 0#44 of 113
- Patrol vessels
- 0#106 of 113
- Mine warfare vessels
- 0#53 of 113
Finance
- Military spending
- $217 million#125 of 156
- Military spending as % of GDP
- 0.9%#122 of 156
- Purchasing power parity (GDP, PPP)
- $42.0 billion#113 of 145
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
Benin military spending 2012–2025
Military spending of Benin grew by 177% between 2012 and 2025, from $78 million to $217 million (current US dollars), and stood at 0.9% of GDP in 2025.
Armed forces of Benin
Branches and forces
Beninese Armed Forces (Forces Armees Beninoises, FAB; aka Benin Defense Forces): Army, Air Force, National Navy, National Guard (aka Republican Guard) Ministry of Interior and Public Security: Republican Police (Police Republicaine, DGPR) (2025)
Personnel
estimated 10-12,000 active duty Armed Forces (including National Guard) (2025)
Service age and conscription
18-30 years of age for voluntary and selective compulsory military service for men and women; compulsory service is 18 months (2025)
Equipment and suppliers
the military is equipped with a mix of older, secondhand, and limited amounts of newer equipment from a variety of suppliers, including China, France, Germany, South Africa, the former Soviet Union, Spain, and the US (2025)
Good to know
the Beninese Armed Forces (FAB) are responsible for defense against external aggression and may be required to assist in maintaining public order and internal security under conditions defined by the country's president; it may also participate in economic development projects a key focus for the security forces of Benin is countering infiltrations into the country by terrorist groups tied to al-Qa'ida and the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) operating just over the border from northern Benin in Burkina Faso and Niger; in 2022, the Benin Government said it was "at war" after suffering a series of attacks from these groups; later that same year, President TALON pledged to increase the size of the military, modernize military equipment, and establish forward operating bases; the military since 2022 has also deployed thousands of additional troops to the north of the country to better secure the border region; in addition, the FAB participates in the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) against Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa in the general area of the Lake Chad Basin and along Nigeria's northeastern border (2025)
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
2024: 0.7% · 2023: 0.5% · 2022: 0.7% · 2021: 0.7% · 2020: 0.5%
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).
Benin compared with its neighbours
| Country | Strength rank | Military spending |
|---|---|---|
| Benin | #144 | $217 million |
 Nigeria | #36 | $2.1 billion |
 Togo | — | $205 million |
 Burkina Faso | #121 | $892 million |
 Niger | #119 | $489 million |