2026 military data comparison
China vs Iran Military Power
Compare China and Iran across 21 available personnel, equipment and spending indicators. MilitaryDex ranks China #2 and Iran #13 in the 2026 edition.
China
69.7Strength Score
20 indicators higher
Iran
15.8Strength Score
1 indicators higher
Comparison at a glance
Higher MSS score
China
69.7 vs 15.8
Indicators higher
20–1
0 tied
Global ranks
#2 / #13
of 145 profiles
Defense budgets
$303.0B
vs $9.2B
Category scorecard
Manpower3 – 0 – 0
Air force5 – 0 – 0
Navy5 – 0 – 0
Army and ground forces4 – 0 – 1
Financial and strategic3 – 0 – 0
Largest reported differences
Aircraft carriers: China
China 3 · Iran 0
Destroyers: China
China 53 · Iran 0
Estimated nuclear warheads: China
China 500 · Iran 0
Defense budget: China
China $303.0B · Iran $9.2B