Nigeria’s Military Drops to 39th in Global Firepower Ranking for 2024
Nigeria’s armed forces have fallen to 39th place out of 145 countries in the latest Global Firepower (GFP) military rankings for 2024. This marks a decline from the country’s 36th position in 2023 and 35th in 2022. Additionally, Nigeria dropped from third to fourth place among African nations, now ranking behind Egypt, Algeria, and South Africa.
In Africa, Egypt maintains its dominance as the continent’s strongest military, followed by Algeria, South Africa, and now Nigeria in fourth place. Other notable African countries such as Ethiopia, Angola, Morocco, and the Democratic Republic of Congo round out the continent’s top ten.
This setback comes despite Nigeria’s continued investments in its military infrastructure and high-grade military hardware. The country’s military efforts have been a key part of its strategy to strengthen national security and bolster its regional influence.
Meanwhile, the United States retained its position as the world’s most powerful military for the 18th consecutive year, outperforming Russia, China, and India, which occupy second, third, and fourth spots, respectively. South Korea, the United Kingdom, Japan, Turkey, Pakistan, and Italy complete the top ten.
The GFP report explained that the rankings are based on over 60 individual factors, ranging from the number of military units and financial capabilities to logistical strengths and geographical factors. The formula used allows smaller, more technologically advanced nations to compete effectively with larger, less-developed powers.
The Nigerian military has not yet issued a statement regarding its drop in rankings.
