Global Firepower ranks Uzbekistan as Central Asia’s strongest army

In the latest ranking, Uzbekistan placed 53rd out of 145 countries, scoring 0.9908 points – the highest position among Central Asian states. Lower scores in the index indicate stronger overall military potential.

According to data published by Global Firepower, Uzbekistan’s armed forces are equipped with 470 tanks, 8,692 armored vehicles, 159 aircraft, and 101 helicopters. The country also ranks 32nd globally in terms of available manpower fit for military service and 49th by defense budget size.

Among other Central Asian nations, Kazakhstan ranked 58th, followed by Turkmenistan in 78th place, Tajikistan at 100th, and Kyrgyzstan at 109th. As in previous years, the United States, Russia, and China occupied the top three positions globally.

The top ten countries in the 2026 Global Firepower ranking are:

• United States (0.0741)
• Russia (0.0791)
• China (0.0919)
• India (0.1346)
• South Korea (0.1642)
• France (0.1798)
• Japan (0.1876)
• United Kingdom (0.1881)
• Turkey (0.1975)
• Italy (0.2211)

Global Firepower is a non-governmental project run by U.S.-based blogger Daniel Puccetti. The platform does not publicly disclose the full methodology, data sources, or formulas used to calculate its rankings, a factor that has drawn periodic criticism from analysts.

Despite these limitations, the GFP index is widely cited as a comparative reference point for assessing global and regional military strength.