Special Report

The Strongest Militaries in Asia

BDphoto / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

Asia, best known for being the world’s biggest continent, is home to some of the biggest military powers as well. While the United States may rank as the most powerful nation, militarily speaking, Russia, India, and China each can hold their own with their impressive militaries.

One common thread between the most powerful militaries on the Asian continent is their air power. Russia, India and China each boast some of the strongest air forces in the world which exert dominance over their respective territories. However, there are a number of other smaller nations on the continent that do not fully exert military dominance on the world stage, instead they fall into a hierarchy of power within different regions, each of these countries exhibiting different strengths and weaknesses. (These are the world’s largest air forces.)

To determine the countries with the strongest military might in Asia, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed 2024 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 supplemental information regarding active military personnel, military aircraft, vehicles, and naval power as well.

Over recent decades, China has vastly improved its military capabilities on different levels. From developing new fifth generation fighter aircraft to expanding its navy, the People’s Liberation Army has greatly improved China’s standing on the world stage as a global superpower.

Comparatively, Russia draws much of its military strength from the Cold War era where it saw a massive expansion of its military to fit its global ambitions. Despite the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1980s, Russia has still maintained much of its military strength and is even exerting much of it now in Ukraine. (Here is how Russia and NATO’s military capabilities compare.)

Here is a look at the strongest militaries in Asia:

45. Bhutan

Steve Evans / Wikimedia Commons
  • Military strength score: 6.3704
  • Active military personnel: 7,500
  • Total military aircraft: 2
  • Total military vehicles: 108
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 0

44. Nepal

my_public_domain_photos / Flickr
  • Military strength score: 2.8962
  • Active military personnel: 95,000
  • Total military aircraft: 15
  • Total military vehicles: 2,216
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 0

43. Lebanon

tanukiphoto / iStock via Getty Images
  • Military strength score: 2.4283
  • Active military personnel: 60,000
  • Total military aircraft: 81
  • Total military vehicles: 4,522
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 69

42. Afghanistan

Pool / Getty Images News via Getty Images
  • Military strength score: 2.2715
  • Active military personnel: 0
  • Total military aircraft: 17
  • Total military vehicles: 6,555
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 0

41. Laos

west_point / Flickr
  • Military strength score: 2.2071
  • Active military personnel: 100,000
  • Total military aircraft: 34
  • Total military vehicles: 1,880
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 0

40. Cambodia

mauriziobiso / iStock via Getty Images
  • Military strength score: 2.1725
  • Active military personnel: 221,000
  • Total military aircraft: 24
  • Total military vehicles: 4,094
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 31

39. Tajikistan

thenationalguard / Flickr
  • Military strength score: 2.1265
  • Active military personnel: 9,500
  • Total military aircraft: 25
  • Total military vehicles: 4,650
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 0

38. Mongolia

  • Military strength score: 2.1079
  • Active military personnel: 35,000
  • Total military aircraft: 11
  • Total military vehicles: 3,600
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 0

37. Armenia

Joel Carillet / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
  • Military strength score: 2.0583
  • Active military personnel: 57,500
  • Total military aircraft: 64
  • Total military vehicles: 736
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 0

36. Kyrgyzstan

usairforce / Flickr
  • Military strength score: 2.0057
  • Active military personnel: 23,000
  • Total military aircraft: 6
  • Total military vehicles: 2,772
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 0

35. Bahrain

usnavy / Flickr
  • Military strength score: 1.7163
  • Active military personnel: 18,400
  • Total military aircraft: 120
  • Total military vehicles: 2,598
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 58

34. Georgia

usarmyeurope_images / Flickr
  • Military strength score: 1.6969
  • Active military personnel: 55,000
  • Total military aircraft: 52
  • Total military vehicles: 5,256
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 19

33. Turkmenistan

Bumblee_Dee / Getty Images
  • Military strength score: 1.4906
  • Active military personnel: 36,500
  • Total military aircraft: 90
  • Total military vehicles: 8,312
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 44

32. Yemen

Andrew Renneisen / Getty Images News via Getty Images
  • Military strength score: 1.4692
  • Active military personnel: 66,700
  • Total military aircraft: 177
  • Total military vehicles: 4,800
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 38

31. Jordan

Public Domain / marine_corps / Flickr
  • Military strength score: 1.4651
  • Active military personnel: 100,500
  • Total military aircraft: 265
  • Total military vehicles: 24,148
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 27

30. Oman

usnavy / Flickr
  • Military strength score: 1.4448
  • Active military personnel: 42,600
  • Total military aircraft: 128
  • Total military vehicles: 5,019
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 22

29. Kuwait

Scott Nelson / Getty Images News via Getty Images
  • Military strength score: 1.4261
  • Active military personnel: 72,000
  • Total military aircraft: 144
  • Total military vehicles: 4,409
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 123

28. Sri Lanka

ertyo5 / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
  • Military strength score: 1.3459
  • Active military personnel: 346,000
  • Total military aircraft: 86
  • Total military vehicles: 3,708
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 270

27. Uzbekistan

my_public_domain_photos / Flickr
  • Military strength score: 1.1069
  • Active military personnel: 48,000
  • Total military aircraft: 191
  • Total military vehicles: 5,526
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 0

26. Qatar

Ijasmuhammed / Wikimedia Commons
  • Military strength score: 1.0789
  • Active military personnel: 66,550
  • Total military aircraft: 228
  • Total military vehicles: 5,544
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 123

25. Syria

U.S. Department of Defense / Public Domain / Flickr
  • Military strength score: 1.0026
  • Active military personnel: 170,000
  • Total military aircraft: 452
  • Total military vehicles: 14,550
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 47

24. Azerbaijan

Public Domain / usarmyeurope_images / Flickr
  • Military strength score: 0.9934
  • Active military personnel: 126,400
  • Total military aircraft: 144
  • Total military vehicles: 29,312
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 24

23. Kazakhstan

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Military strength score: 0.9495
  • Active military personnel: 110,000
  • Total military aircraft: 243
  • Total military vehicles: 6,012
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 18

22. United Arab Emirates

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Military strength score: 0.8083
  • Active military personnel: 65,000
  • Total military aircraft: 560
  • Total military vehicles: 12,253
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 79

21. Iraq

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Military strength score: 0.7441
  • Active military personnel: 193,000
  • Total military aircraft: 371
  • Total military vehicles: 39,872
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 68

20. Malaysia

mylifestory / Flickr
  • Military strength score: 0.5992
  • Active military personnel: 113,000
  • Total military aircraft: 143
  • Total military vehicles: 13,965
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 101

19. Bangladesh

Karimphoto / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Military strength score: 0.5419
  • Active military personnel: 163,000
  • Total military aircraft: 216
  • Total military vehicles: 13,100
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 117

18. North Korea

alexkuehni / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Military strength score: 0.5313
  • Active military personnel: 1,320,000
  • Total military aircraft: 951
  • Total military vehicles: 24,696
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 505

17. Myanmar

Goldquest / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Military strength score: 0.5251
  • Active military personnel: 150,000
  • Total military aircraft: 293
  • Total military vehicles: 8,139
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 227

16. Philippines

ClaudineVM / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Military strength score: 0.4691
  • Active military personnel: 150,000
  • Total military aircraft: 195
  • Total military vehicles: 7,562
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 111

15. Singapore

39955793@N07 / Flickr
  • Military strength score: 0.4087
  • Active military personnel: 51,000
  • Total military aircraft: 247
  • Total military vehicles: 8,318
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 43

14. Thailand

usnavy / Flickr
  • Military strength score: 0.3389
  • Active military personnel: 360,850
  • Total military aircraft: 501
  • Total military vehicles: 14,040
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 293

13. Taiwan

presidentialoffice / Flickr
  • Military strength score: 0.3302
  • Active military personnel: 215,000
  • Total military aircraft: 750
  • Total military vehicles: 19,868
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 93

12. Saudi Arabia

usarmyeurope_images / Flickr
  • Military strength score: 0.3235
  • Active military personnel: 257,000
  • Total military aircraft: 914
  • Total military vehicles: 20,694
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 57

11. Vietnam

knittymarie / Flickr
  • Military strength score: 0.3158
  • Active military personnel: 600,000
  • Total military aircraft: 226
  • Total military vehicles: 18,578
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 97

10. Israel

usembassyjlm / Flickr
  • Military strength score: 0.2596
  • Active military personnel: 170,000
  • Total military aircraft: 612
  • Total military vehicles: 43,407
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 67

9. Iran

Majid Saeedi / Getty Images News via Getty Images
  • Military strength score: 0.2269
  • Active military personnel: 610,000
  • Total military aircraft: 551
  • Total military vehicles: 65,765
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 101

8. Indonesia

AWG97 / Wikimedia Commons
  • Military strength score: 0.2251
  • Active military personnel: 400,000
  • Total military aircraft: 474
  • Total military vehicles: 11,604
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 333

7. Pakistan

dvids / Flickr
  • Military strength score: 0.1711
  • Active military personnel: 654,000
  • Total military aircraft: 1,434
  • Total military vehicles: 50,523
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 114

6. Turkey

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Military strength score: 0.1697
  • Active military personnel: 355,200
  • Total military aircraft: 1,069
  • Total military vehicles: 55,104
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 186

5. Japan

Chris McGrath / Getty Images News via Getty Images
  • Military strength score: 0.1601
  • Active military personnel: 247,150
  • Total military aircraft: 1,459
  • Total military vehicles: 37,662
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 155

4. South Korea

Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images News via Getty Images
  • Military strength score: 0.1416
  • Active military personnel: 600,000
  • Total military aircraft: 1,576
  • Total military vehicles: 66,492
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 200

3. India

BDphoto / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
  • Military strength score: 0.1023
  • Active military personnel: 1,455,550
  • Total military aircraft: 2,296
  • Total military vehicles: 151,248
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 294

2. China

Pool / Getty Images News via Getty Images
  • Military strength score: 0.0706
  • Active military personnel: 2,035,000
  • Total military aircraft: 3,304
  • Total military vehicles: 174,300
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 730

1. Russia

Kichigin / iStock via Getty Images
  • Military strength score: 0.0702
  • Active military personnel: 1,320,000
  • Total military aircraft: 4,255
  • Total military vehicles: 161,382
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 781

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