France
Wins 17/27
United Kingdom
Wins 10/27France leads on 17 of 27 tracked categories.
France holds the stronger Global Firepower rank (#6).
France and United Kingdom are compared here on public military strength data, with France holding the stronger Global Firepower rank over United Kingdom. The sharpest gap is in active personnel, France leads at 264,000 versus 141,330.
Full data
Spec sheet
| France | United Kingdom | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| GFP power index | 0.1798 ✓ | 0.1881 |
| GFP rank | 6 ✓ | 8 |
| Economy | ||
| Defense budget (USD) | $68,000,000,000 | $89,000,000,000 ✓ |
| GDP (USD) | $3,366,316,000,000 | $4,002,588,000,000 ✓ |
| Defense spend, % of GDP (%) | 2 % | 2.4 % |
| Population | 69,081,996 | 69,487,000 ✓ |
| Personnel | ||
| Active personnel | 264,000 ✓ | 141,330 |
| Reserve personnel | 43,444 ✓ | 31,940 |
| Paramilitary | 150,000 ✓ | 0 |
| Nuclear | ||
| Warheads, total | 370 ✓ | 225 |
| Warheads, deployed | 280 ✓ | 120 |
| Nuclear status | Yes | Yes |
| Delivery legs | SLBM, bomber | SLBM |
| NPT status | signatory (nuclear-weapon state) | signatory (nuclear-weapon state) |
| First test year | 1960 | 1952 |
| Air power | ||
| Total aircraft | 974 ✓ | 625 |
| Fighters | 223 ✓ | 103 |
| Attack aircraft | 0 | 38 ✓ |
| Transport aircraft | 118 ✓ | 30 |
| Helicopters | 452 ✓ | 262 |
| Attack helicopters | 67 ✓ | 50 |
| Land power | ||
| Tanks | 427 ✓ | 288 |
| Armored fighting vehicles | 110,784 ✓ | 94,064 |
| Self-propelled artillery | 74 ✓ | 14 |
| Towed artillery | 0 | 126 ✓ |
| Rocket artillery (MLRS) | 9 | 43 ✓ |
| Naval power | ||
| Total naval assets | 166 ✓ | 116 |
| Aircraft carriers | 1 | 2 ✓ |
| Submarines | 9 | 10 ✓ |
| Destroyers | 11 ✓ | 6 |
| Frigates | 5 | 7 ✓ |
| Corvettes | 0 | 0 |
| Patrol vessels | 22 | 26 ✓ |
Frequently asked questions
Which has more nuclear warheads, France or United Kingdom? +
France has more nuclear warheads, an estimated 370 in total stockpile.
Which has the bigger defense budget, France or United Kingdom? +
United Kingdom has the bigger defense budget, at an estimated 89,000,000,000 USD.
Which has more tanks, France or United Kingdom? +
France has more tanks, an estimated 427 main battle tanks.
Which has a bigger air force, France or United Kingdom? +
France has more total aircraft, an estimated 974.
Which has a bigger navy, France or United Kingdom? +
France has more naval assets, an estimated 166 vessels.
Which has the higher Global Firepower rank, France or United Kingdom? +
France holds the stronger Global Firepower rank, at number 6 worldwide.
Where does this military comparison data come from? +
Sources: Global Firepower 2026, SIPRI 2025, FAS 2026, IMF. Figures are public estimates. Every figure is a public estimate, not classified data, and can vary between sources.
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Sources: Global Firepower 2026, SIPRI 2025, FAS 2026, IMF. Figures are public estimates.