Military profile
North Macedonia Military Strength
North Macedonia ranks #108 of 145 in the Global Firepower military strength ranking, with 9,000 active personnel. It spent $375 million on its military in 2025 (2.0% of GDP).
North Macedonia armed forces in numbers
Personnel
- Active military personnel
- 9,000#125 of 145
- Reserve military personnel
- 60,000#42 of 145
- Paramilitary forces
- 4,000#97 of 145
- Army personnel
- 8,500#117 of 145
- Air force personnel
- 350#128 of 145
- Navy personnel
- 0#113 of 145
Air power
- Total military aircraft
- 20#115 of 145
- Fighter aircraft
- 0#95 of 145
- Attack aircraft
- 0#65 of 145
- Military helicopters
- 10#115 of 145
- Attack helicopters
- 4#64 of 145
Land forces
- Tanks
- 31#103 of 145
- Self-propelled artillery
- 18#76 of 145
- Towed artillery
- 191#50 of 145
- Rocket artillery
- 12#85 of 145
Finance
- Military spending
- $375 million#112 of 156
- Military spending as % of GDP
- 2.0%#66 of 156
- Purchasing power parity (GDP, PPP)
- $33.0 billion#124 of 145
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
North Macedonia military spending 2010–2025
Military spending of North Macedonia grew by 188% between 2010 and 2025, from $130 million to $375 million (current US dollars), and stood at 2.0% of GDP in 2025.
Armed forces of North Macedonia
Branches and forces
Army of the Republic of North Macedonia (ARSM or ARNM): joint force with air, ground, reserve, special operations, and support forces (2025)
Personnel
approximately 6,000 active military personnel (2025)
Service age and conscription
18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2007 (2025)
Equipment and suppliers
the military's inventory is a mix of Russian/Soviet-era armaments and growing quantities of more modern equipment from countries such as Türkiye, the UK, and the US (2025)
Good to know
the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia (ARSM) is responsible for the defense of the country's territory and independence, fulfilling North Macedonia's commitments to NATO and European security, and contributing to EU, NATO, and UN peace and security missions; the ARSM has participated in multinational missions and operations in Afghanistan (NATO), Bosnia and Herzegovina (EU), Eastern Europe (NATO), Iraq (NATO), Kosovo (NATO), and Lebanon (UN); a key area of focus over the past decade has been improving capabilities and bringing the largely Soviet-era-equipped ARSM up to NATO standards; it has increased its participation in NATO training exercises since becoming the 30th member of the Alliance in 2020 and currently has small numbers of combat troops deployed to Bulgaria and Romania as part of NATO's Enhance Forward Presence mission implemented because of Russian military aggression against Ukraine (2025)
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
2025: 2% · 2024: 1.9% · 2023: 1.7% · 2022: 1.6% · 2021: 1.5%
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).
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