Rabat – Morocco maintains the same position in the 2024 military strength report, with the Global Firepower Index ranking the North African country 61st out of 145 countries.
According to the report, Morocco holds a power index score of 1.0081.
Regarding available manpower, Morocco ranks 36, with over 17.33 million human military resources.
The available military manpower “proves critical in any conflict, particularly drawn-out ones,” the report said.
The North African country’s investment in military equipment is also shown in the report, which identified Morocco’s airpower.
According to the report, Morocco’s stock has a total aircraft of 255, 83 fighters, 71 trainers, 2 tanker fleets, and 70 helicopters.
In terms of land forces, Morocco is home to 1,564 tanks, 13,710 military vehicles, 565 self-propelled artillery, 306 towed artillery, and 208 rocket artillery.
Morocco has been heavily investing in the military sector, with remarkable purchases of advanced military technology and gear.
In recent years, Morocco purchased and ordered cutting-edge equipment from its suppliers, mainly the US.
One of the landmark deals was the acquisition of the American “HIMARS” missile system, surpassing half a billion dollars last year.
In November 2023, Morocco’s royal navy also received four “52 Fearless Super Interceptor” speedboats from American manufacturer Metal Shark.
Morocco’s heavy investment in modernizing its military sector has placed the country among the world’s top 40 arms importers.
A recent report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) ranked Morocco as the 29th largest importer of major weapons in 2022.
The report identified the US as the top arms supplier to the North African country in 2022.
Morocco allocated 124.7 billion or $12.88 billion to the defense industry for the year 2024.
The government is allocating the budget under the “acquisition and repair of materials for the Royal Armed Forces” and support for the defense industry development.
This means that Morocco added nearly MAD 5 billion ($484.7 million) to its defense budget, compared to 2023, when the budget for the sector was estimated at MAD 119.76 billion ($11.6 billion).
Overview on the military strength ranking
The 2024 Military Strength Ranking placed the US on the top of the list, with a power index of 0.0699. Russia comes second, followed by China, India, South Korea, the UK, Japan, Turkiye, Pakistan, Italy, and France.
Egypt is ranked 15th on the list, making it the foremost military power in Africa. In the Middle East, Iran is topping the list as it ranked 14th ahead of Australia (16) and Israel (17).
Ukraine ranked 18th on the list, followed by Germany, Spain, Poland, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, and Thailand.
Algeria, therefore, is the second strongest military in Africa after Egypt. The report ranked Algeria 26th, similar to the 2023 ranking.
Algeria holds a power index of 0.3589, and a manpower of 21.48 million.
The North African country has a total of aircraft estimated at 605, 102 fighters, 87 trainers, 75 attack helicopters, and 298 helicopters.
Algeria also has 1,632 tanks, 35,990 military vehicles, 224 self-propelled artillery, and 482 towed artillery, in addition to 236 rocket artillery.
