Chinavs Saudi Arabia
On Global Firepower's 2026 index, China (#3) holds a clear lead over Saudi Arabia (#25).
- China has nuclear weapons; Saudi Arabia has none.
- China has aircraft carriers; Saudi Arabia has none.
- China has submarines; Saudi Arabia has none.
Who leads in each area
- People and moneyChina leads 4 of 4
- Land forcesChina leads 5 of 5
- Air powerChina leads 6 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
$83.2B2.04M
Active personnel
247K510K
Reserves
0625K
Paramilitary
150KSpending is SIPRI's 2025 estimate in US dollars (China: 1.7% of GDP; Saudi Arabia: 6.5% of GDP).
Land forces
Armour and artillery: the weight an army can put on the ground.
5,870
Tanks
1,085152K
Armored vehicles
22K2,940
Self-propelled artillery
3801,400
Towed artillery
5572,770
Rocket artillery
327Air power
Fixed-wing and rotary aircraft across all branches.
3,529
Total aircraft
9171,443
Fighters
283371
Attack aircraft
811,007
Helicopters
264281
Attack helicopters
349
Tankers
22287
Transports
49Naval forces
Hull counts, from carriers down to patrol boats.
841
Total fleet
323
Aircraft carriers
04
Helicopter carriers
061
Submarines
053
Destroyers
046
Frigates
750
Corvettes
9Nuclear weapons
Estimated warheads in military stockpiles, January 2026.
620
Warheads
034
Deployed warheads
0Compare other countries
Related matchups
- United StatesvsChina
- ChinavsIndia
- ChinavsRussia
- ChinavsTaiwan
- ChinavsJapan
- IranvsSaudi Arabia
- Saudi ArabiavsEgypt
- ChinavsAustralia
Profiles: China and Saudi Arabia. Sources: Global Firepower 2026, SIPRI Military Expenditure 2025 (Apr 2026), SIPRI Yearbook 2026: World Nuclear Forces.