Military Power.net

Iranvs Israel

On Global Firepower's 2026 index, Israel (#15) holds a narrow edge over Iran (#16).

  • Israel has nuclear weapons; Iran has none.
  • Israel spends 6.5× as much on its military.
  • Iran fields 4.2× as many submarines.
  1. People and moneyEven, 2–2
  2. Land forcesIran leads 5 of 5
  3. Air powerIsrael leads 5 of 7
  4. Naval forcesIran leads 3 of 7
  5. Nuclear weaponsIsrael leads 1 of 2

Leads count raw numbers in each category. Larger is not always stronger: a modern fleet can beat a bigger, older one.

Size against technology

Iran has the larger military on paper: about 610,000 active personnel against Israel’s 169,500, and roughly twice as many tanks. Its forces are split between the regular army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and much of its equipment dates from before 1979 or has been built at home under sanctions.

Israel spent $48.3 billion on its military in 2025, according to SIPRI, more than six times Iran’s $7.4 billion, and nearly 8% of its GDP. Its air force flies modern American fighters, including the F-35, and it operates layered missile defences. Israel has never confirmed it has nuclear weapons, but SIPRI estimates it holds about 90 warheads.

How they actually fight

The two countries are at least 1,000 kilometres apart and share no border, so tanks and troop numbers matter less than missiles, drones, air power and air defence. Iran’s large ballistic missile arsenal and its network of allied armed groups have been its main tools, while Israel has relied on long-range air strikes. In 2024 and 2025 they exchanged direct strikes for the first time.

People and money

Who can be put in uniform, and how much is spent keeping them there.

$7.4B
Military spending
$48.3B
610K
Active personnel
170K
350K
Reserves
465K
220K
Paramilitary
35K

Spending is SIPRI's 2025 estimate in US dollars (Iran: 2.1% of GDP; Israel: 7.8% of GDP).

Land forces

Armour and artillery: the weight an army can put on the ground.

2,675
Tanks
1,300
76K
Armored vehicles
62K
424
Self-propelled artillery
323
1,803
Towed artillery
171
1,550
Rocket artillery
228

Air power

Fixed-wing and rotary aircraft across all branches.

551
Total aircraft
597
188
Fighters
239
21
Attack aircraft
45
129
Helicopters
127
13
Attack helicopters
48
6
Tankers
13
86
Transports
14

Naval forces

Hull counts, from carriers down to patrol boats.

109
Total fleet
82
0
Aircraft carriers
0
0
Helicopter carriers
0
25
Submarines
6
0
Destroyers
0
7
Frigates
0
3
Corvettes
7

Nuclear weapons

Estimated warheads in military stockpiles, January 2026.

0
Warheads
90
0
Deployed warheads
0

Compare other countries

Related matchups

Profiles: Iran and Israel. Sources: Global Firepower 2026, SIPRI Military Expenditure 2025 (Apr 2026), SIPRI Yearbook 2026: World Nuclear Forces.