World military strength ranking: Ghana ranks 107th behind Nigeria, Zimbabwe
A report detailing the military strength of 136 countries for the year 2018 has ranked Ghana in 107th place.
According to data from Global FirePower (GFP), Ghana's total population of 27,499,924 has 13,500 active personnel and a total aircraft strength of 24 (comprising 14 helicopters) and it operates a defence budget of $120 million.
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The West African country was also found to have a total of 20 naval assets including 11 patrol vessels.
It will be recalled that a similar report by the GFP on the world's largest armies in July 2018 ranked Ghana 108th out of 136 countries.
Government to equip armed forces
President Akufo-Addo after reviewing a graduation parade at the Ghana Military Academy last October indicated that government will equip the Ghana armed forces with state-of-the-art infrastructure.
According to him, an ultra-modern training facility would be constructed to meet the training requirements of the military.
He explained that the new facility would serve as his legacy to the military before he finishes his term in office.
He assured that the military will also be provided with the necessary resources to carry out their constitutionally mandated role of protecting the territorial integrity of the country.
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African ranking
The highest ranked African country was Egypt (12th) followed by Algeria (23rd), South Africa (33rd), Nigeria (43rd) and Angola (48th).
Ghana also lagged behind Ethiopia (51st), Morocco (55th), Sudan (70th), Libya (74th), Tunisia (77th), Zimbabwe (81st), Zambia (83rd), Kenya (85th), Uganda (93rd), Tanzania (98th) and Botswana (103rd).
The ranking focuses on the diversity of weapons in a country's arsenal rather than the total number of weapons available.
The ranking also takes into account available manpower, geography, logistical capacity, available natural resources, and the status of
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It did not penalise land-locked nations for lacking a standing navy; however, naval powers were penalised for a lack of diversity in available assets.
The ranking also considered a nation's financial stability/health while NATO allies received bonus points for the sharing of war-making resources.
Current political/military leadership was not taken into account.
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World Ranking
The GFP ranked the United States as the strongest army in the world, followed by Russia, China, India and France respectively.
1. United States
Power Index rating: 0.0818 (NATO member)
Total population: 326,625,791
Total military personnel: 2,083,100
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Total aircraft: 13,362
Fighter aircraft: 1,962
Combat tanks: 5,884
Total naval assets: 415 (20 aircraft carriers)
Defense budget: $647 billion
2. Russia
Power Index rating: 0.0841
Total population: 142,257,519
Total military personnel: 3,586,128
Total aircraft strength: 3,914
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Fighter aircraft: 818
Combat tanks: 20,300
Total naval assets: 352 (one aircraft carrier out of service indefinitely)
Defense budget: $47 billion
3. China
Power Index rating: 0.0852
Total population: 1,379,302,771
Total military personnel: 2,693,000
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Total aircraft strength: 3,035
Fighter aircraft: 1,125
Combat tanks: 7,716
Total naval assets: 714 (one aircraft carrier)
Defense budget: $151 billion
4. India
Power Index rating: 0.1417
Total population: 1,281,935,911
Total military personnel: 4,207,250
Total aircraft strength: 2,185
Fighter aircraft: 590
Combat tanks: 4,426
Total naval assets: 295 (one aircraft carrier)
Defense budget: $47 billion
5. France
Power Index rating: 0.1869 (NATO member)
Total population: 67,106,161
Total military personnel: 388,635
Total aircraft strength: 1,262
Fighter aircraft 299
Combat tanks: 406
Total naval assets: 118 (four aircraft carriers)
Defense budget: $40 billion
The top ten nations
