I just came across an interesting comparison of the military potential of neighboring countries. Iran’s population is 92.4 million people, while Israel has only 9.5 million—the difference is simply huge. But if you look at the number of active military personnel, the gap isn’t as significant: Iranians have 49.49 million in reserve versus 3.95 million for Israelis.

What’s interesting is that when you start digging into the details of their armaments, the picture becomes completely different. Iran’s population is, of course, large, but they have less equipment—1,713 tanks versus 1,300 for their neighbors. They have 13 combat helicopters versus 48. But they’re ahead in artillery: 392 units versus 352.

The naval forces also look interesting—Iran has 107 ships, while Israel has only 62. However, submarines are a whole different level: Israel has 5, and Iran has none at all. Iran has a large population, but its naval fleet is less developed. And you can see the difference in the air fleet as well—188 combat aircraft versus 240.

Overall, when you look at all these figures together, it becomes clear: Iran’s population provides an advantage in manpower, but the neighbors have better technical equipment. An interesting balance is emerging.