Military profile
Sudan Military Strength
Sudan ranks #75 of 145 in the Global Firepower military strength ranking, with 100,000 active personnel. It spent $369 million on its military in 2021 (0.9% of GDP).
Sudan armed forces in numbers
Personnel
- Active military personnel
- 100,000#43 of 145
- Reserve military personnel
- 50,000#47 of 145
- Paramilitary forces
- 55,000#30 of 145
- Army personnel
- 45,000#66 of 145
- Air force personnel
- 13,000#51 of 145
- Navy personnel
- 2,000#80 of 145
Air power
- Total military aircraft
- 191#50 of 145
- Fighter aircraft
- 45#39 of 145
- Attack aircraft
- 37#17 of 145
- Military helicopters
- 72#49 of 145
- Attack helicopters
- 43#16 of 145
Land forces
- Tanks
- 170#70 of 145
- Self-propelled artillery
- 20#74 of 145
- Towed artillery
- 389#28 of 145
- Rocket artillery
- 40#55 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
- 10#74 of 113
- Mine warfare vessels
- 0#53 of 113
Finance
- Military spending
- $369 million#113 of 156
- Military spending as % of GDP
- 0.9%#119 of 156
- Purchasing power parity (GDP, PPP)
- $176.4 billion#70 of 145
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
Sudan military spending 2015–2021
Military spending of Sudan fell by 84% between 2015 and 2021, from $2.3 billion to $369 million (current US dollars), and stood at 0.9% of GDP in 2021.
Armed forces of Sudan
Branches and forces
Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF): Ground Force (Sudanese Army), Sudanese Navy, Sudanese Air Force; Rapid Support Forces (RSF); Border Guards Ministry of Interior: Sudan Police Forces (SPF), Central Reserve Police (CRP) (2025)
Personnel
prior to the outbreak of fighting between the SAF and the RSF in 2023, size estimates for Sudan's armed forces varied widely: up to 200,000 SAF; up to 100,000 RSF; up to 80,000 Central Reserve Police (2023)
Service age and conscription
18-33 years of age for compulsory or voluntary military service for men and women; service obligation 12-24 months (2025)
Equipment and suppliers
the SAF's inventory includes a mix of mostly Chinese, Russian/Soviet, and some domestically produced weapons systems; Sudan has a state-run defense industry, which mostly manufactures copies of foreign-supplied armaments, such as armored vehicles, under license (2025)
Good to know
the primary responsibilities of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) are border control, external defense, and internal security; SAF operations have traditionally been supported by militia and paramilitary forces, particularly the Rapid Support Forces (RSF); in the Spring of 2023, fighting broke out between the SAF and the RSF, particularly around the capital Khartoum and in the western region of Darfur, amid disputes over an internationally-backed plan for a transition towards civilian rule; fighting subsequently spread and continued into 2025 with reports of atrocities, ethnic cleansing, food insecurity, heavy civilian casualties, and millions of internally displaced persons; each side is supported by allied militias and both reportedly have received foreign support the Sudanese military has been a dominant force in the ruling of the country since its independence in 1956; in addition, the military has a large role in the country's economy, reportedly controlling over 200 commercial companies, including businesses involved in gold mining, rubber production, agriculture, and meat exports the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) has operated in the disputed Abyei region along the border between Sudan and South Sudan since 2011; UNISFA's mission includes ensuring security, protecting civilians, strengthening the capacity of the Abyei Police Service, de-mining, monitoring/verifying the redeployment of armed forces from the area, and facilitating the flow of humanitarian aid; as of 2025, UNISFA had approximately 3,800 personnel assigned (2025)
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
2021: 1% · 2020: 1% · 2019: 2.4% · 2018: 2% · 2017: 3.6% · :
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).
Sudan compared with its neighbours
| Country | Strength rank | Military spending |
|---|---|---|
| Sudan | #75 | $369 million |
 South Sudan | #116 | $178 million |
 Chad | #97 | $649 million |
 Egypt | #14 | $2.5 billion |
 Ethiopia | #49 | $528 million |
 Eritrea | #113 | — |
 Libya | #80 | $1.6 billion |
 Central African Republic | #136 | $74 million |