Military profile
Mexico Military Strength
Mexico ranks #31 of 145 in the Global Firepower military strength ranking, with 250,000 active personnel. It spent $13.6 billion on its military in 2025 (0.7% of GDP).
Mexico armed forces in numbers
Personnel
- Active military personnel
- 250,000#17 of 145
- Reserve military personnel
- 65,000#38 of 145
- Paramilitary forces
- 100,000#22 of 145
- Army personnel
- 200,000#14 of 145
- Air force personnel
- 12,000#52 of 145
- Navy personnel
- 75,200#6 of 145
Air power
- Total military aircraft
- 468#25 of 145
- Fighter aircraft
- 3#92 of 145
- Attack aircraft
- 33#19 of 145
- Military helicopters
- 158#26 of 145
- Attack helicopters
- 0#79 of 145
Land forces
- Tanks
- 0#115 of 145
- Self-propelled artillery
- 10#85 of 145
- Towed artillery
- 80#72 of 145
- Rocket artillery
- 0#98 of 145
Naval power
- Aircraft carriers
- 0#8 of 113
- Destroyers
- 5#9 of 113
- Frigates
- 11#12 of 113
- Corvettes
- 4#26 of 113
- Submarines
- 0#44 of 113
- Patrol vessels
- 150#4 of 113
- Mine warfare vessels
- 0#53 of 113
Finance
- Military spending
- $13.6 billion#30 of 156
- Military spending as % of GDP
- 0.7%#134 of 156
- Purchasing power parity (GDP, PPP)
- $2.31 trillion#13 of 145
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
Mexico military spending 2010–2025
Military spending of Mexico grew by 185% between 2010 and 2025, from $4.8 billion to $13.6 billion (current US dollars), and stood at 0.7% of GDP in 2025.
Armed forces of Mexico
Branches and forces
the Mexican Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas de México) are divided between the Secretariat of National Defense and the Secretariat of the Navy: Secretariat of National Defense (Secretaria de Defensa Nacional, SEDENA): Army (Ejercito), Mexican Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Mexicana, FAM), National Guard (Guardia Nacional); Secretariat of the Navy (Secretaria de Marina, SEMAR): Mexican Navy (Armada de Mexico (ARM), includes Naval Air Force (FAN), Mexican Naval Infantry Corps (Cuerpo de Infanteria de Marina, Mexmar or CIM)) Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection/SEDENA: National Guard (2025)
Personnel
information varies; approximately 260,000 active-duty Armed Forces; approximately 110,000 National Guard personnel (2025)
Service age and conscription
18 years of age (16 with parental consent) for voluntary service for men and women; men at age 18 subject to lottery-based 12-month compulsory military service (2025)
Equipment and suppliers
the Mexican military inventory includes a mix of domestically produced and imported armaments from a variety of mostly Western suppliers, particularly the US; Mexico's defense industry produces light armored vehicles and some naval vessels, as well as small arms and other miscellaneous equipment (2025)
Good to know
the Mexican military is responsible for defending the independence, integrity, and sovereignty of Mexico, as well as providing for internal security, disaster response, humanitarian assistance, and socio-economic development; internal security duties are a key focus, particularly combating narcotics trafficking and organized crime groups, as well as border control and immigration enforcement; the constitution was amended in 2019 to grant the president the authority to use the armed forces to protect internal and national security, and courts have upheld the legality of the armed forces' role in law enforcement activities in support of civilian authorities through 2028; the military also provides security for strategic facilities, such as oil production infrastructure, and administers most of the country's land and sea ports and customs services, plus a state-owned development bank; in addition, President LÓPEZ OBRADOR placed the military in charge of a growing number of infrastructure projects, such as building and operating a new airport for Mexico City and sections of a train line in the country's southeast (2025)
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
2024: 0.9% · 2023: 0.7% · 2022: 0.7% · 2021: 0.7% · 2020: 0.6%
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).
Mexico compared with its neighbours
| Country | Strength rank | Military spending |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico | #31 | $13.6 billion |
 United States | #1 | $954.4 billion |
 Guatemala | #102 | $633 million |
 Belize | #139 | $33 million |