Bangladesh and Sri Lanka share historical and cultural similarities with the Sinhalese Buddhist majority tracing their roots to what is now present day Bangladesh.
The Armed Forces of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka enjoy extremely good ties with join training initiatives in full swing. Notably many Sri Lankan defence chiefs and commanders are alumni of Bangladesh military training institutions including the Bangladesh Military Academy, National Defence College and Defence Services Command & Staff College.
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have witnessed their fair share of violence including war, terrorism and insurgency. Both nations successfully combatted national threats faced at different periods of history.
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka share historical and cultural similarities with the Sinhalese Buddhist majority tracing their roots to what is now present day Bangladesh.
The Armed Forces of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka enjoy extremely good ties with join training initiatives in full swing. Notably many Sri Lankan defence chiefs and commanders are alumni of Bangladesh military training institutions including the Bangladesh Military Academy, National Defence College and Defence Services Command & Staff College.
General statistics:
| Bangladesh | Sri Lanka | |
| Area | 147,570 km2 | 65,610 km2 |
| Population | 165 million | 22 million |
| Ethnic groups | Bangali (98%) | Sinhalese (75%), Tamil (11.2%) |
| Religions | Islam, Hinduism | Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam |
| Fit for military service | 40 million | 4.2 million |
| Defence & security budget | $7.1 billion | $1.7 billion |
| National budget | $61.52 billion | 42.85 billion |
| Defence & security budget as percentage of GDP | 2.2% | 2.2% |
| GDP (Nominal) | $320 billion | $92.5 billion |
| Economic growth | 7.8% | 2.2% |
| Per capita income | $1,909 | $4,265 |
| Forex reserve | $33 billion | $8 billion |
| Political system | Parliamentary democracy | Parliamentary democracy |
| Army | 208,000 | 130,000 |
| Navy | 24,081 | 48,000 |
| Air Force | 19,000 | 28,700 |
| Paramilitary | 84,950 | 112,800 |
| Police & law enforcement | 6,456,000 | 76,139 |
| Foreign military deployments | Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia | None |
| UN Peacekeeping deployments | 6,471 | 670 |
| Major military operations/wars | 1971 war, CHT COIN, Gulf War (Op Desert Shield) | World War II, SL Civil War |
Military hardware:
| Land warfare systems | ||
| Main/Medium tanks | 306 | 202+ |
| Light tanks/reece vehicles | 143+ | 117+ |
| Armoured vehicles | 1,619+ | 453+ |
| Combat engineer vehicles | 90 | 32+ |
| Multi-barrel rocket launchers | 79+ | 22 |
| Self-propelled howitzers | 18 | 0 |
| Towed artillery | 594 | 154+ |
| Heavy mortars (120mm>) | 106 | 110 |
| Anti-aircraft guns | 288 | Unknown |
| Anti-aircraft missile launchers | 41 | None |
| MANPADS | 600+ | None |
| Anti-tank missile launchers | 2,094+ | Unknown |
| Sea warfare systems | ||
| Submarines | 2 | None |
| Frigates | 8 | 2 |
| Corvettes | 10 | 0 |
| Offshore patrol vessels | 11 | 10 |
| Attack craft | 12+ | 6 |
| Coastal patrol craft | 34+ | 53 |
| Smaller patrol craft | 147+ | 140 |
| Amphibious vessels | 23+ | 6 |
| Mine warfare vessels | 5 | None |
| Auxiliary ships | 19 | 6 |
| Military aircraft | ||
| Fighter aircraft | 46 | 4 |
| Ground attack aircraft | None | None |
| Jet trainers/light attack aircraft | 35 | 5 |
| Other training aircraft | 46 | 10 |
| Special missions aircraft | 4 | None |
| Transport aircraft | 17 | 17 |
| Attack helicopters | None | 9 |
| Transport/multi-purpose helicopters | 70 | 34 |
| Naval fixed wing aircraft | 4 | 2 |
| Maritime helicopters | 6 | None |
| Light/utility helicopters | 11 | 4 |
| Unmanned aerial vehicles | 36+ | 16+ |
