Military profile
Sri Lanka Military Strength
Sri Lanka ranks #71 of 145 in the Global Firepower military strength ranking, with 250,000 active personnel. It spent $1.4 billion on its military in 2025 (1.3% of GDP).
Sri Lanka armed forces in numbers
Personnel
- Active military personnel
- 250,000#17 of 145
- Reserve military personnel
- 5,500#76 of 145
- Paramilitary forces
- 11,000#64 of 145
- Army personnel
- 100,000#35 of 145
- Air force personnel
- 34,000#25 of 145
- Navy personnel
- 48,000#14 of 145
Air power
- Total military aircraft
- 86#78 of 145
- Fighter aircraft
- 5#89 of 145
- Attack aircraft
- 0#65 of 145
- Military helicopters
- 56#62 of 145
- Attack helicopters
- 9#49 of 145
Land forces
- Tanks
- 182#65 of 145
- Self-propelled artillery
- 0#96 of 145
- Towed artillery
- 234#46 of 145
- Rocket artillery
- 22#71 of 145
Naval power
- Aircraft carriers
- 0#8 of 113
- Destroyers
- 0#15 of 113
- Frigates
- 5#32 of 113
- Corvettes
- 0#47 of 113
- Submarines
- 0#44 of 113
- Patrol vessels
- 59#12 of 113
- Mine warfare vessels
- 0#53 of 113
Finance
- Military spending
- $1.4 billion#77 of 156
- Military spending as % of GDP
- 1.3%#98 of 156
- Purchasing power parity (GDP, PPP)
- $274.8 billion#55 of 145
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
Sri Lanka military spending 2010–2025
Military spending of Sri Lanka fell by 9% between 2010 and 2025, from $1.5 billion to $1.4 billion (current US dollars), and stood at 1.3% of GDP in 2025.
Armed forces of Sri Lanka
Branches and forces
Sri Lanka Armed Forces: Sri Lanka Army (includes National Guard and the Volunteer Force), Sri Lanka Navy (includes Marine Corps), Sri Lanka Air Force, Sri Lanka Coast Guard; Civil Security Department (Home Guard) Ministry of Public Security: Sri Lanka Police (2025)
Personnel
estimated 210,000 active Armed Forces (140,000 Army; 25,000 Air Force; 45,000 Navy) (2025)
Service age and conscription
generally 18-24 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women, although upper age limits may vary by branch of service, roles, specialties, etc; no conscription (2026)
Equipment and suppliers
the military's armaments are mostly of Chinese, Indian, Russian/Soviet, and US origin (2025)
Deployments abroad
120 Central African Republic (MINUSCA); 130 Lebanon (UNIFIL) (2025)
Good to know
the military of Sri Lanka is responsible for external defense, maritime security, and maintaining internal security; it has sent small numbers of personnel on UN peacekeeping missions; from 1983 to 2009, the military fought against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a conflict that involved both guerrilla and conventional warfare, as well as acts of terrorism and human rights abuses, and cost the military nearly 30,000 killed; since the end of the war, a large portion of the Army reportedly remains deployed in the majority Tamil-populated northern and eastern provinces; the military over the past decade also has increased its role in a range of commercial sectors including agriculture, hotels, leisure, and restaurants Sri Lanka traditionally has had close security ties to India; the Sri Lankan and Indian militaries conduct exercises together, and India trains approximately 1,000 Sri Lankan soldiers per year; in recent years, Sri Lanka has increased military ties with China, including acquiring military equipment, hosting naval port calls, and sending personnel to China for training (2025)
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
2024: 1.5% · 2023: 1.6% · 2022: 1.7% · 2021: 1.9% · 2020: 2%
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).