Around 20 Countries Around the World Have Chosen to Abolish Their Armies
Although maintaining a military force is generally considered essential to protecting a country’s security and sovereignty, some countries around the world have chosen to forgo permanent armies, preferring to direct their resources toward other areas such as development, education, and healthcare. “Harrison Kass,” a writer and lawyer specializing in national security, technology, and political culture, noted in a report published by the U.S. magazine The National Interest that around 20 countries have voluntarily given up their armies and now rely on other countries for protection, while using the financial savings to support activities and sectors aimed at promoting peace.
Kass argues that most countries around the world, whether large or small, rich or poor, invest in maintaining a standing army. This can be explained by the nature of a world that has experienced continuous conflicts and wars throughout history, from disputes between tribes and small emirates to modern nation-states. While diplomacy and politics remain important tools, the ability to use or threaten force continues to be one of the means countries rely on to safeguard their independence and deter potential aggressors.
Consequently, completely abandoning a military reflects a high degree of confidence in neighboring countries and the surrounding geopolitical environment. Nevertheless, around 20 countries have taken this step, making international treaties and partnerships a key foundation of their security systems. Most of these countries are small islands in the Caribbean or Pacific and face no direct threat from larger regional powers. The list, however, also includes strategically important countries, with five standing out as the largest by population: Costa Rica, Panama, Mauritius, the Solomon Islands, and Iceland.
5- Iceland
Land area: 103,125 square kilometers.
Population: 390,000.
Iceland has not maintained a standing army since 1869 and has instead relied partly on its geographic location for protection. It lies far from mainland Europe and largely avoided the conflicts that affected the continent during the first half of the 20th century.
Despite having no Icelandic army, the country is a founding member of NATO, which may initially appear unusual. Iceland has considerable strategic importance because of its location along the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom gap, a maritime passage that Russia’s Northern Fleet submarines would have to cross to reach the Atlantic Ocean. Iceland’s security is also supported by a bilateral defense agreement with the United States signed in 1951.
4- Solomon Islands
Land area: 28,896 square kilometers.
Population: 750,000.
The Solomon Islands are located in the southwestern Pacific, east of Papua New Guinea and northeast of Australia. During World War II, the islands were the scene of some of the war’s fiercest battles, particularly around Guadalcanal. Despite this military history, the country—which remained a British colony until gaining independence in 1978—never established its own army and relied on the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia for security.
In recent years, the Solomon Islands have become a geopolitical point of friction between Washington and Beijing and one of the key arenas of strategic competition. In the absence of a national army, the country signed a security agreement with China allowing Chinese warships to visit its ports. The move was viewed as undermining Australia’s security influence in the region and drew strong opposition from Washington.
Following a political crisis in early 2026 that led to the resignation of the pro-China prime minister, his successor announced a review of the security agreement, a development welcomed by Washington amid broader geopolitical turmoil in other parts of the world.
3- Mauritius
Land area: 2,040 square kilometers.
Population: 1.3 million.
After gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1968, Mauritius, the island nation located approximately 1,300 kilometers east of Madagascar, chose not to establish a standing army. The decision was driven in part by financial considerations, with the small country preferring to direct its resources toward other economic and development sectors, including manufacturing, tourism, and financial services, rather than spending on weapons and military equipment.
Despite its limited territory, Mauritius occupies a strategic position in the southwestern Indian Ocean and relies on a close partnership with India in the areas of defense and surveillance to safeguard its national security.
The country has also recently drawn attention over the Chagos Islands, a British territory that has been the subject of a longstanding dispute. London had indicated its willingness to return the territory to Mauritius in early 2025 before reversing its position under U.S. pressure, particularly given the use of the U.S. base at Diego Garcia for strikes against Iran during 2025 and 2026. Mauritius has nevertheless continued to maintain its claim to the islands.
2- Panama
Land area: 74,177 square kilometers.
Population: 4.5 million.
Panama has exceptional strategic importance because its isthmus, which separates the Pacific Ocean from the Caribbean Sea and, through it, the Atlantic Ocean, is only about 37 miles wide at its narrowest point. This geographic position prompted the United States to construct the Panama Canal in the early 20th century, making the security of the region—and the canal in particular—a matter of major international importance.
For a long period, Panama relied on the United States to protect the canal. Today, its security is based on the 1977 Neutrality Treaty, which guarantees the canal’s military neutrality while granting the United States a legal right to intervene militarily if the canal faces an external threat.
Nevertheless, Panama maintained its own army for most of its history before the military establishment became an influential political force. During the second half of the 20th century, several military leaders effectively ruled the country through nominally civilian presidents. The last of these was “Manuel Noriega,” whose relations with the United States deteriorated because of his involvement in drug trafficking.
The confrontation culminated in the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989, which removed Noriega and paved the way for the establishment of a democratic government. The new government subsequently dismantled the military establishment, and in 1994 the National Assembly approved a constitutional amendment prohibiting a permanent army.
1- Costa Rica
Land area: 51,180 square kilometers.
Population: 5.2 million.
In 1948, following a brief but bloody civil war, Costa Rican President “José Figueres Ferrer” decided to abolish the army. This policy was subsequently incorporated into the country’s 1949 Constitution.
Instead of allocating resources to military spending, Costa Rica redirected its defense budget toward universal healthcare, public education, and environmental conservation. Strategically, the absence of an army led the country to rely on international treaties, most notably the 1947 Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance, known as the Rio Treaty.
The treaty considers an attack on Costa Rica to constitute an attack against the countries of the Americas, including the United States, providing the country with a security umbrella in the absence of a national military force. Costa Rica also benefits from relatively good relations with its neighbors Nicaragua and Panama, making the prospect of an invasion from either direction highly unlikely.
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Author: Counselor Faisal Al-Mutairi
Publication Date: August 26, 2026
Last Updated: August 2026
