Country rankings

Us Overseas Military Bases by Country

Japan has the highest # of US Military Bases in 2021 (120), followed by Germany (119) and South Korea (73). Cuba has the lowest (1).

Military29 countries · 3 metricsUpdated Nov 13, 2024Original page
35 sources
Year 202128 of 235 countries
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# of US Military Bases, 2021

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All 28 ranked

Highest first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one country; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
10
Middle half 3.75 – 22
Average
21.96
28 countries
Highest
120
Japan
Lowest
1
Cuba

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

29 countries · # = rank by # of US Military Bases
#
1Japan12053,713Between 1945-1952 - Occupation and Reconstruction of Japan after WW2.
2Germany11933,9481945 - The United States Armed Forces were initially organized as USEFT (United States Force European Theater).
3South Korea7326,4141950 - The history of Camp Humphreys dates back to 1919, when the Japanese military built the Pyeongtaek Airfield. During the Korean War, Pyeongtaek Airfield was named K-6 after being repaired and enhanced by the U.S. Air Force to accommodate a U.S. Marine Air Group and the 61…
4Guam546,1401899 - U.S. Naval Station Guam was formally established and Marines were brought ashore.
5Italy4412,2471951 - United States and Italy concluded negotiations to establish a line of communication and supply through Italy, in support of U.S. troops stationed in Austria. The military complex was formally dedicated to become a permanent U.S. Army facility on November 15, 1952.
6Puerto Rico341631923 - A tract of 300 acres on the south shore of San Juan Bay was obtained in 1923 and designated as Camp Buchanan. It served as a target range and maneuver area for the U.S. Army and National Guard troops from 1923 to 1939.
7United Kingdom259,2741942 - Since 1942 the United States has maintained air bases in the United Kingdom. Major Commands of the USAF having bases in the United Kingdom were the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), Strategic Air Command (SAC), and Air Mobility Command (AMC).
8Portugal21—1953 - the U.S. Forces Azores Command was organized as a subordinate Unified Command under the Command-in-Chief Atlantic. In peacetime, the U.S. Forces Commander (COMUSFORAZ) is assisted by a small joint staff responsible for contingency planning.
9Turkey131,6851952 - Turkey formally joined NATO in February 1952. The Turkish General Staff and the U.S. Air Force signed a joint use agreement for the new base in December 1954. On Feb. 21, 1955, the base was officially named Adana Air Base, with the 7216th Air Base Squadron as host unit.
10Bahrain123,7311948 - Middle East Force in 1948, what was to become Naval Support Activity Bahrain began as a small continuous U.S. Navy presence, which later transformed into a small shore facility in Juffair, occupying Royal Navy territory while providing logistical and communications supp…
11Belgium111,1471967 - USAG Benelux - Brussels (formerly known as NATO Support Activity and as U.S. Army Garrison Brussels) was originally activated in August 1967 when NATO Headquarters moved from Paris to Brussels and when SHAPE began to function in Belgium.
11Panama11281903 - In 1903, the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty was signed between Panama and the United States. It created the Panama Canal Zone as a U.S. governed region, and allowed the U.S. to build the Panama Canal.
11Marshall Islands11—1944 - n February 1944, U.S. Marine and Army forces defeated Japanese troops on both the Kwajalein and Enewetak atolls. Both atolls were then turned into U.S. military bases.
14Saudi Arabia103811940 - U.S. became more interested in Saudi oil. As a result, on February 4, 1940, as World War II was approaching, the U.S. had established a diplomatic presence in Saudi Arabia in order to have closer relations with the Saudis and to offer protection.
14Kuwait102,1691991 - Thousands of U.S. forces have been stationed in Kuwait since 1991 when a multinational coalition led by the U.S. expelled Iraqi forces from the country as part of the first Gulf War.
16Australia71,0851941 - During World War II, RAAF Base Darwin served as a first refuge for retreating US Air Force units from the Philippines in 1941. The US Air Force Far East Air Force and its subordinate commands, V Fighter and V Bomber established headquarters at Darwin in late December 1941.
16Norway77331954 - Construction began in 1952 and the following year the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) issued grants for a long runway. The facility cost 70 million Norwegian krone and opened on 14 September 1954.
18Oman6231996 - The US Air Force's 16th Special Operations Wing, 823rd 'Red Horse' Squadron went to RAFO Thumrait on 17 April 1996 for 'Eastern Castle', an exercise with the Omani military. During this exercise, the US Air Force built runway and apron extensions, and installed overhead…
19Colombia5571962 - The first significant involvement was linked to U.S. military training missions and support for counterinsurgency efforts under initiatives like "Plan LAZO" in 1962, where U.S. military advisors aided the Colombian government in targeting communist insurgent groups. Sin…
20Spain43,1681953 - Rota was established in 1953, following the signing of an agreement for facilities use between the United States and Kingdom of Spain.
20Syria46002016 - The first U.S. military base in Syria was established at Al-Tanf in 2016. Located near the Iraq-Syria border, this base became a strategic point for U.S. forces to support operations against ISIS. It serves as a training and operational hub for Syrian opposition groups …
22Canada31271941 - American military forces arrived in 1941 to establish military bases in St. John's, Argentia and Stephenville.
22United Arab Emirates31952017 - While the US military presence at the base dates back to the early 1990s, it was only officially acknowledged by the US Air Force in August 2017.
24Peru2461983 - Naval Medical Research Unit SOUTH , formerly known as Naval Medical Research Unit Six, is a biomedical research laboratory of the U.S. Navy located in Lima, Peru. It is the only U.S. military command located in South America.
24Jordan22542013 - The U.S. has had military forces present in Jordan at least since April 19, 2013, when then Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel publicly ordered the deployment of American troops to Jordan as a "preparatory step to secure Syrian chemical weapons facilities."
24Honduras23691980s - The US Army established its first official presence on Honduran soil during the 1980s when they established airbases used for training purposes primarily. Today, there are several bases spread throughout the country that support both American troops and their Honduran …
27Egypt12691941 - During World War II, Camp Huckstep was used by Allied forces at least as early as 1941. In 1943, the camp was the largest military supply depot in the Middle East, including among other things an 1100-bed hospital and a US-run radio station.
27Cuba17311898 - During the Spanish-American War, in 1898, the United States established a Naval Station at North and South Toro Cays (directly behind the current hospital). A dispensary was built on North Toro Cay, locally referred to as the "hospital".
—Finland—192023 - The first formal U.S. military arrangement for access to bases in Finland was recently established through a Defense Cooperation Agreement signed in December 2023. Although Finland joined NATO in April 2023, this new agreement allows the U.S. military to pre-position eq…

What correlates with # of US Military Bases (2021)?

Pearson r against 1,730 other country metrics sharing at least 17 countries. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher # of US Military Bases tend to score higher on these

  1. Product ValueManufacturing Countries
    r = +0.95 · very strong · n = 26
    Plot
  2. Total US TroopsUS Troop Presence by Country
    r = +0.94 · very strong · n = 27
    Plot
  3. WeChat UsersWeChat Users by Country
    r = +0.93 · very strong · n = 17
    Plot
  4. Manufacturing ValueManufacturing by Country
    r = +0.92 · very strong · n = 19
    Plot
  5. # Domestic BondsBond Market Size by Country
    r = +0.92 · very strong · n = 22
    Plot
  6. Car Exports ValueCar Exports by Country
    r = +0.90 · very strong · n = 26
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher # of US Military Bases tend to score lower on these

  1. US Trade BalanceUS Trade Deficit by Country
    r = −0.82 · very strong · n = 26
    Plot
  2. Adults Who Helped Strangers WGIMost Charitable Countries
    r = −0.73 · very strong · n = 22
    Plot
  3. 10-Year Production Growth RateElectricity Production by Country
    r = −0.64 · strong · n = 17
    Plot
  4. 2030 GrowthPast and Projected Future Population by Country
    r = −0.62 · strong · n = 28
    Plot
  5. 2035 GrowthPast and Projected Future Population by Country
    r = −0.61 · strong · n = 28
    Plot
  6. Major Countries Overall RankMajor Countries
    r = −0.61 · strong · n = 17
    Plot

Quick answers

Which country has the highest # of US Military Bases?
Japan has the highest # of US Military Bases in 2021, at 120, followed by Germany (119) and South Korea (73).
Which country has the lowest # of US Military Bases?
Cuba has the lowest # of US Military Bases in 2021, at 1.
What is the median # of US Military Bases across countries?
The median is 10 across the 28 countries with data in 2021.
Where does this us overseas military bases by country data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Camp Bondsteel Serves as Powerful Example of KBR Values - KBR; Camp Red Cloud - Bilecki Law Group; Caserma Ederle - Wiki; Cooperative Security Locations (CSL) - U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command.

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