2026 military data comparison
China vs Japan Military Power
Compare China and Japan across 21 available personnel, equipment and spending indicators. MilitaryDex ranks China #2 and Japan #16 in the 2026 edition.
China
69.7Strength Score
20 indicators higher
Japan
12.7Strength Score
1 indicators higher
Comparison at a glance
Higher MSS score
China
69.7 vs 12.7
Indicators higher
20–1
0 tied
Global ranks
#2 / #16
of 145 profiles
Defense budgets
$303.0B
vs $58.0B
Category scorecard
Manpower3 – 0 – 0
Air force5 – 0 – 0
Navy5 – 0 – 0
Army and ground forces5 – 0 – 0
Financial and strategic2 – 0 – 1
Largest reported differences
Aircraft carriers: China
China 3 · Japan 0
Estimated nuclear warheads: China
China 500 · Japan 0
Multiple-launch rocket systems: China
China 2,770 · Japan 99
Paramilitary: China
China 625,000 · Japan 25,000