Behind the United States, Russia and China stand as the top two military powers in the world. Each country boasts a unique arsenal that makes for a formidable military force. On one hand, Russia is home to the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons as well as the largest tank and artillery force. On the other, China commands the world’s largest standing army along with the fastest growing naval force. Each of these superpowers is on the cutting-edge of aviation with fifth-generation aircraft that can rival U.S. air superiority. Here, 24/7 Wall St. is exploring how these two military powers match up across multiple fronts.
To compare Russia and China, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2025 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Global Firepower ranked 145 countries based on their PowerIndex, a composite of over 60 measures in categories such as military might, financials, logistical capability, and geography. The smaller the PowerIndex value the more powerful a nation’s theoretical conventional fighting capability is. We included multiple factors in the comparison across different fields ranging from economics, land power, air power, and naval power, as well as a few others to give a full picture to how these countries measure up.
Here, 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at how these countries match up across multiple sectors ranging from military prowess to economic strength.
Here is a look at how Russia and China compare on these fronts:
Why Are We Covering This?
In this rapidly evolving world, the comparison of military power between countries serves as a measure of global stability. This analysis is important not just for understanding each nation’s defense capabilities, but also should an offensive conflict arise. While superpowers like the United States, China, and Russia dominate headlines with their military resources, other nations also play important roles in regional security dynamics and geopolitical relations. This analysis seeks to understand these countries from a base level of assets, resources, manpower, and economics.
Russia Financials
- Purchasing power parity: $5,816,000,000,000
- Foreign exchange reserves and gold: $597,217,000,000
- Defense budget: $126,000,000,000 – #3 out of 145
- External debt: 317,650,500,000
China Financials
- Purchasing power parity: $31,227,000,000,000
- Foreign exchange reserves and gold: $3,450,000,000,000
- Defense budget: $266,850,000,000 – #2 out of 145
- External debt: 1,218,458,500,000
Russia Population
- Total population: 140,820,810
- Population reaching military age: 1,267,387
- Population fit-for-service: 46,189,226
China Population
- Total population: 1,415,043,270
- Population reaching military age: 19,810,606
- Population fit-for-service: 626,864,169
Russia Manpower
- Active personnel: 1,320,000
- Air Force personnel: 165,000
- Army personnel: 550,000
- Navy personnel: 160,000
- Reserve personnel: 2,000,000
- Paramilitary forces: 250,000
- Total military personnel: 3,570,000
China Manpower
- Active personnel: 2,035,000
- Air Force personnel: 400,000
- Army personnel: 2,545,000
- Navy personnel: 380,000
- Reserve personnel: 510,000
- Paramilitary forces: 625,000
- Total military personnel: 3,170,000
Russia Air Power
- Total aircraft: 4,292
- Fighter aircraft: 833
- Attack aircraft: 689
- Transport aircraft: 456
- Special-mission aircraft: 141
- Tanker aircraft: 19
- Trainer aircraft: 611
- Helicopters: 1,651
- Attack helicopters: 557
China Air Power
- Total aircraft: 3,309
- Fighter aircraft: 1,212
- Attack aircraft: 371
- Transport aircraft: 289
- Special-mission aircraft: 112
- Tanker aircraft: 10
- Trainer aircraft: 402
- Helicopters: 913
- Attack helicopters: 281
Russia Land Forces
- Total military vehicles: 131,527
- Tanks: 5,750
- Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 3,005
- Self-propelled artillery: 5,168
- Towed artillery: 8,505
- Total artillery: 13,673
China Land Forces
- Total military vehicles: 144,017
- Tanks: 6,800
- Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 2,750
- Self-propelled artillery: 3,490
- Towed artillery: 1,000
- Total artillery: 4,490
Russia Naval Forces
- Total naval assets: 419
- Total naval tonnage: 1,260,447
- Aircraft carriers: 1
- Helicopter carriers: 0
- Destroyers: 10
- Frigates: 12
- Corvettes: 83
- Submarines: 63
- Off-shore patrol vessels: 123
- Mine warfare vessels: 47
China Naval Forces
- Total naval assets: 754
- Total naval tonnage: 2,857,143
- Aircraft carriers: 3
- Helicopter carriers: 4
- Destroyers: 50
- Frigates: 47
- Corvettes: 72
- Submarines: 61
- Off-shore patrol vessels: 150
- Mine warfare vessels: 36
Russia Natural Resources
- Oil production: 10,727,000 BBL / day
- Oil proven reserves: 80,000,000,000 BBL / day
- Natural gas production: 617,830,000,000 cubic meters
- Natural gas proven reserves: 47,805,000,000,000 cubic meters
- Coal production: 508,190,000 metric tons
- Coal proven reserves: 162,166,000,000 metric tons
China Natural Resources
- Oil production: 4,984,000 BBL / day
- Oil proven reserves: 26,023,000,000 BBL / day
- Natural gas production: 225,341,000,000 cubic meters
- Natural gas proven reserves: 6,654,000,000,000 cubic meters
- Coal production: 4,827,000,000 metric tons
- Coal proven reserves: 143,197,000,000 metric tons
Russia Logistics
- Labor force: 72,408,000
- Merchant Marine fleet: 2,910
- Ports: 67
- Airports: 904
- Roadway coverage: 1,283,387 km
- Railway coverage: 85,494 km
- Waterway coverage: 102,000 km
China Logistics
- Labor force: 779,246,000
- Merchant Marine fleet: 8,314
- Ports: 66
- Airports: 531
- Roadway coverage: 5,200,000 km
- Railway coverage: 150,000 km
- Waterway coverage: 27,700 km
Russia Military Strength
- Strength score: 0.0788
- Global strength rank: #2 out of 145
China Military Strength
- Strength score: 0.0788
- Global strength rank: #3 out of 145
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