Country A
North Korea
#5 global · #3 in Asia
36.3Military Strength Score / 100
2026 MILITARY DATA COMPARISON
North Korea vs South Korea Military Power
A structured comparison across 27 available indicators. Country A is always cyan; Country B is always amber. Larger inventories are not predictions of combat outcomes.
Country B
South Korea
#6 global · #4 in Asia
27.2Military Strength Score / 100
MSS gap9.1 pointsNorth Korea has the higher score
Reported values higherA 11 · B 151 tied; “higher” does not always mean “better”
Global positionsA #5 · B #6of 145 country profiles
Change the two countries
A
North KoreaCYAN COLUMN
B
South KoreaAMBER COLUMN
Country context
PopulationSouth Korea +25,113,528
A · North Korea26,571,036World Bank 2025
B · South Korea51,684,564World Bank 2025
Nominal GDPSouth Korea +$1.86T
A · North Korea$15.0BWorld Bank unavailable
B · South Korea$1.87TWorld Bank 2025
Land areaNorth Korea +22,810 km²
A · North Korea120,410 km²World Bank 2023
B · South Korea97,600 km²World Bank 2023
Defense budget per residentSouth Korea +$688
A · North Korea$178.8Derived · population 2025
B · South Korea$866.8Derived · population 2025
Active troops per 1,000 residentsNorth Korea +40.97
A · North Korea49.68Derived · population 2025
B · South Korea8.71Derived · population 2025
Manpower
Active troopsNorth Korea +870,000
A · North Korea1,320,000
B · South Korea450,000
Reserve troopsSouth Korea +2,540,000
A · North Korea560,000
B · South Korea3,100,000
ParamilitarySouth Korea +20,000
A · North Korea100,000
B · South Korea120,000
Air force
Total aircraftSouth Korea +703
A · North Korea837
B · South Korea1,540
Fighter aircraftNorth Korea +99
A · North Korea341
B · South Korea242
Attack aircraftNorth Korea +16
A · North Korea114
B · South Korea98
Transport aircraftSouth Korea +196
A · North Korea177
B · South Korea373
HelicoptersSouth Korea +622
A · North Korea205
B · South Korea827
Attack helicoptersSouth Korea +93
A · North Korea20
B · South Korea113
Navy
Total naval assetsNorth Korea +95
A · North Korea264
B · South Korea169
Aircraft carriersSame reported value
A · North Korea0
B · South Korea0
DestroyersSouth Korea +12
A · North Korea2
B · South Korea14
SubmarinesNorth Korea +2
A · North Korea24
B · South Korea22
FrigatesSouth Korea +16
A · North Korea2
B · South Korea18
Army and ground forces
TanksNorth Korea +3,064
A · North Korea4,895
B · South Korea1,831
Armored vehiclesSouth Korea +69,668
A · North Korea47,792
B · South Korea117,460
Self-propelled artillerySouth Korea +1,480
A · North Korea1,300
B · South Korea2,780
Towed artillerySouth Korea +5,100
A · North Korea700
B · South Korea5,800
Multiple-launch rocket systemsNorth Korea +975
A · North Korea1,500
B · South Korea525
Financial and strategic
Defense budgetSouth Korea +$40.0B
A · North Korea$4.8B
B · South Korea$44.8B
Defense budget share of GDPNorth Korea +29.1%
A · North Korea30.8%
B · South Korea1.7%
Estimated nuclear warheadsNorth Korea +60
A · North Korea60
B · South Korea0
What this comparison cannot tell you
A larger reported inventory or MSS score is not a prediction of military success. Readiness, training, maintenance, geography, logistics, technology quality, alliances, doctrine and objectives sit outside this table.
Review sources, weights and limitations →Country inventory baseline: 2026 edition. Population, GDP, land-area context and military-expenditure trends: World Bank WDI, with the observation year shown at the decision point. Nuclear totals: FAS beginning-of-2026 estimates. Source links and structure reviewed August 25, 2026.