Chinavs Iran
On Global Firepower's 2026 index, China (#3) holds a solid edge over Iran (#16).
- China has nuclear weapons; Iran has none.
- China has aircraft carriers; Iran has none.
- China has destroyers; Iran has none.
Who leads in each area
- People and moneyChina leads 4 of 4
- Land forcesChina leads 4 of 5
- Air powerChina leads 7 of 7
- Naval forcesChina leads 7 of 7
- Nuclear weaponsChina leads 2 of 2
Leads count raw numbers in each category. Larger is not always stronger: a modern fleet can beat a bigger, older one.
People and money
Who can be put in uniform, and how much is spent keeping them there.
$336B
Military spending
$7.4B2.04M
Active personnel
610K510K
Reserves
350K625K
Paramilitary
220KSpending is SIPRI's 2025 estimate in US dollars (China: 1.7% of GDP; Iran: 2.1% of GDP).
Land forces
Armour and artillery: the weight an army can put on the ground.
5,870
Tanks
2,675152K
Armored vehicles
76K2,940
Self-propelled artillery
4241,400
Towed artillery
1,8032,770
Rocket artillery
1,550Air power
Fixed-wing and rotary aircraft across all branches.
3,529
Total aircraft
5511,443
Fighters
188371
Attack aircraft
211,007
Helicopters
129281
Attack helicopters
139
Tankers
6287
Transports
86Naval forces
Hull counts, from carriers down to patrol boats.
841
Total fleet
1093
Aircraft carriers
04
Helicopter carriers
061
Submarines
2553
Destroyers
046
Frigates
750
Corvettes
3Nuclear weapons
Estimated warheads in military stockpiles, January 2026.
620
Warheads
034
Deployed warheads
0Compare other countries
Related matchups
- United StatesvsChina
- ChinavsIndia
- ChinavsRussia
- ChinavsTaiwan
- IranvsIsrael
- ChinavsJapan
- IranvsSaudi Arabia
- United StatesvsIran
Profiles: China and Iran. Sources: Global Firepower 2026, SIPRI Military Expenditure 2025 (Apr 2026), SIPRI Yearbook 2026: World Nuclear Forces.