China vs Russia Military Comparison
Side-by-side military strength: active personnel, defense budgets, air force aircraft, and naval assets.
China
2M active troops
$300B budget
VS
Russia
900K active troops
$200B budget
5,651
Tanks
12,420
35,000
Armored Vehicles
30,122
10,366
Artillery
14,145
2,430
Rocket Systems
3,391
1,200
Fighter Jets
789
912
Helicopters
1,543
777
Warships
605
79
Submarines
70
Nuclear Arsenal
Russia
LARGEST
5,580
WARHEADS
China
9.0% OF LARGEST
500
WARHEADS
Russia holds
11.2×
the warheads of China
Warheads Over Time
Estimated total warhead inventories — Federation of American Scientists / SIPRI
Defense Budget vs GDP
Historical defense spending and how it compares to each country's GDP. The % of GDP view normalises for economic size so smaller economies aren't drowned out by absolute dollar figures.
Defense Budget Over Time ($B)
Defense Budget as % of GDP
Source: World Bank Open Data API (MS.MIL.XPND.CD)
Military Active Personnel
China
LARGEST
2.04M
TROOPS
Russia
44.2% OF LARGEST
900K
TROOPS
China has 2.26× the active personnel of Russia
Air Force Total Aircraft
Russia
LARGEST
4.17K
AIRCRAFT
China
78.7% OF LARGEST
3.29K
AIRCRAFT
Russia has 1.27× the aircraft of China
Total Naval Assets
Land Forces — Detailed Metrics
| Metric |
China
|
Russia
|
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 2,035,000 | 900,000 |
| Reserve Personnel | 510,000 | 2,000,000 |
| Total Military Personnel | 2,545,000 | 3,350,000 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $292,000,000,000 | $154,000,000,000 |
| Tanks | 5,651 | 12,420 |
| Armored Vehicles | 35,000 | 30,122 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 4,120 | 6,574 |
| Towed Artillery | 6,246 | 7,571 |
| Rocket Projectors | 2,430 | 3,391 |
Air Force — Detailed Metrics
| Metric |
China
|
Russia
|
|---|---|---|
| Total Aircraft | 3,285 | 4,173 |
| Fighters | 1,200 | 789 |
| Attack Aircraft | 1,600 | 1,391 |
| Transport Aircraft | 406 | 445 |
| Trainer Aircraft | 314 | 496 |
| Helicopters | 912 | 1,543 |
| Attack Helicopters | 281 | 544 |
Naval Forces — Detailed Metrics
| Metric |
China
|
Russia
|
|---|---|---|
| Total Naval Assets | 777 | 605 |
| Aircraft Carriers | 3 | 1 |
| Destroyers | 41 | 15 |
| Frigates | 49 | 11 |
| Corvettes | 72 | 86 |
| Submarines | 79 | 70 |
| Patrol Vessels | 220 | 65 |
| Mine Warfare Vessels | 36 | 47 |
See economy, trade, demographics, and more for this comparison.
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Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated June 2026.
Sources & methodology