Which Countries Have the Most Tanks? (2026)
China, Russia and North Korea each field close to 5,000 or more tanks. Tank fleets by country in 2026, and how the war in Ukraine changed the debate.
Main battle tanks have been the centrepiece of land warfare for a century. They are also the clearest measure of how heavy an army is. Here is how the 24 militaries we track compare, using Global Firepower’s 2026 counts.
| # | Country | Tanks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇨🇳 China | 5,870 |
| 2 | 🇷🇺 Russia | 5,630 |
| 3 | 🇰🇵 North Korea | 4,895 |
| 4 | 🇺🇸 United States | 4,666 |
| 5 | 🇮🇳 India | 3,913 |
| 6 | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 3,620 |
| 7 | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | 2,677 |
| 8 | 🇮🇷 Iran | 2,675 |
| 9 | 🇹🇷 Turkey | 2,284 |
| 10 | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 1,831 |
| 11 | 🇮🇱 Israel | 1,300 |
| 12 | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | 1,121 |
| 13 | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | 1,090 |
| 14 | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 1,085 |
| 15 | 🇵🇱 Poland | 798 |
The tank superpowers
China leads with about 5,870 tanks, followed closely by Russia at 5,630. China has been replacing its older Type 59 and Type 69 tanks, both derived from Soviet designs of the 1950s, with the more modern Type 96 and Type 99.
Russia’s figure deserves caution. It has lost thousands of tanks in Ukraine, according to open-source trackers that count destroyed and captured vehicles from photos and video. It has replaced many of them by refurbishing older tanks pulled from Soviet-era storage depots, so its active fleet today is older on average than it was in 2022. Global Firepower’s count is an estimate of what is in service, and wartime numbers are hard to pin down.
North Korea (4,895) has the third-largest fleet, but most of its tanks are old designs, and its numbers are among the least certain anywhere. The United States (4,666) is fourth, with a fleet built around the M1 Abrams, along with a large number held in storage.
Big fleets in the Middle East
Egypt has about 3,620 tanks, more than any other country in Africa or the Middle East, including hundreds of M1 Abrams assembled locally. It also has the highest ratio of tanks to soldiers in our dataset: about 8 for every 1,000 active personnel. Iran (2,675), Turkey (2,284) and Israel (1,300) also field large armoured forces. Israel’s Merkava is one of the few tank designs built around protecting its crew above all else.
Europe’s thin armour
Western Europe’s tank fleets shrank dramatically after the Cold War. Germany (296), the United Kingdom (288) and France (427) each now field a few hundred. Italy has about 203.
Poland is the exception. With about 798 tanks, including American Abrams and South Korean K2s, it already has more than any other EU country in our dataset, and more are on order. See Europe’s rearmament in numbers.
Are tanks obsolete?
The war in Ukraine revived an old debate. Cheap drones, precision artillery and portable anti-tank missiles have destroyed large numbers of tanks, and both sides have adapted by welding improvised screens and cages to their vehicles. Some commentators concluded the tank’s time was over.
Most armies have reached a different conclusion. Ukraine itself repeatedly asked its partners for more tanks, and countries including Poland, Germany and the US are buying or upgrading them. The lesson most militaries have drawn is that tanks need better protection against drones and closer support from infantry, air defence and electronic warfare, not that they can be done without.
Compare armoured forces directly: China vs Russia, North Korea vs South Korea or Israel vs Egypt.