Egypt, Algeria, and Nigeria have emerged as the top three military powers in Africa, according to the 2025 Global Military Strength Index released by Global Firepower (GFP).
The annual index assesses the military capabilities of countries worldwide using over 60 indicators, including troop strength, weapon systems, financial resources, logistics, and geography. It offers a comprehensive overview of each nation’s military readiness.
In this year’s ranking, Egypt maintained its lead as Africa’s strongest military, followed by Algeria and Nigeria. South Africa and Ethiopia completed the continent’s top five.
Here are the top 10 African countries in the 2025 GFP Index, along with their global rankings:
- Egypt (19)
- Algeria (26)
- Nigeria (31)
- South Africa (40)
- Ethiopia (52)
- Angola (56)
- Morocco (59)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (66)
- Sudan (73)
- Libya (76)
