Chinavs Pakistan
On Global Firepower's 2026 index, China (#3) holds a solid edge over Pakistan (#14).
- China has aircraft carriers; Pakistan has none.
- China has destroyers; Pakistan has none.
- China spends 28× as much on its military.
Who leads in each area
- People and moneyChina leads 3 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
$11.9B2.04M
Active personnel
660K510K
Reserves
550K625K
Paramilitary
500KSpending is SIPRI's 2025 estimate in US dollars (China: 1.7% of GDP; Pakistan: 2.9% of GDP).
Land forces
Armour and artillery: the weight an army can put on the ground.
5,870
Tanks
2,677152K
Armored vehicles
59K2,940
Self-propelled artillery
6621,400
Towed artillery
2,6292,770
Rocket artillery
652Air power
Fixed-wing and rotary aircraft across all branches.
3,529
Total aircraft
1,3971,443
Fighters
331371
Attack aircraft
901,007
Helicopters
379281
Attack helicopters
559
Tankers
4287
Transports
63Naval forces
Hull counts, from carriers down to patrol boats.
841
Total fleet
1203
Aircraft carriers
04
Helicopter carriers
061
Submarines
853
Destroyers
046
Frigates
950
Corvettes
6Nuclear weapons
Estimated warheads in military stockpiles, January 2026.
620
Warheads
17034
Deployed warheads
0Compare other countries
Related matchups
- United StatesvsChina
- IndiavsPakistan
- ChinavsIndia
- ChinavsRussia
- ChinavsTaiwan
- ChinavsJapan
- ChinavsAustralia
- PakistanvsIran
Profiles: China and Pakistan. Sources: Global Firepower 2026, SIPRI Military Expenditure 2025 (Apr 2026), SIPRI Yearbook 2026: World Nuclear Forces.