Country A
Philippines
#33 global · #14 in Asia
5.9Military Strength Score / 100
2026 MILITARY DATA COMPARISON
Philippines vs North 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
North Korea
#5 global · #3 in Asia
36.3Military Strength Score / 100
MSS gap30.4 pointsNorth Korea has the higher score
Reported values higherA 6 · B 201 tied; “higher” does not always mean “better”
Global positionsA #33 · B #5of 145 country profiles
Change the two countries
A
PhilippinesCYAN COLUMN
B
North KoreaAMBER COLUMN
Country context
PopulationPhilippines +90,215,926
A · Philippines116,786,962World Bank 2025
B · North Korea26,571,036World Bank 2025
Nominal GDPPhilippines +$472.1B
A · Philippines$487.1BWorld Bank 2025
B · North Korea$15.0BWorld Bank unavailable
Land areaPhilippines +177,760 km²
A · Philippines298,170 km²World Bank 2023
B · North Korea120,410 km²World Bank 2023
Defense budget per residentNorth Korea +$122.5
A · Philippines$56.3Derived · population 2025
B · North Korea$178.8Derived · population 2025
Active troops per 1,000 residentsNorth Korea +48.31
A · Philippines1.37Derived · population 2025
B · North Korea49.68Derived · population 2025
Manpower
Active troopsNorth Korea +1,160,000
A · Philippines160,000
B · North Korea1,320,000
Reserve troopsPhilippines +940,000
A · Philippines1,500,000
B · North Korea560,000
ParamilitaryNorth Korea +65,000
A · Philippines35,000
B · North Korea100,000
Air force
Total aircraftNorth Korea +633
A · Philippines204
B · North Korea837
Fighter aircraftNorth Korea +341
A · Philippines0
B · North Korea341
Attack aircraftNorth Korea +97
A · Philippines17
B · North Korea114
Transport aircraftNorth Korea +120
A · Philippines57
B · North Korea177
HelicoptersNorth Korea +75
A · Philippines130
B · North Korea205
Attack helicoptersNorth Korea +14
A · Philippines6
B · North Korea20
Navy
Total naval assetsNorth Korea +199
A · Philippines65
B · North Korea264
Aircraft carriersSame reported value
A · Philippines0
B · North Korea0
DestroyersNorth Korea +2
A · Philippines0
B · North Korea2
SubmarinesNorth Korea +24
A · Philippines0
B · North Korea24
FrigatesPhilippines +2
A · Philippines4
B · North Korea2
Army and ground forces
TanksNorth Korea +4,877
A · Philippines18
B · North Korea4,895
Armored vehiclesNorth Korea +27,241
A · Philippines20,551
B · North Korea47,792
Self-propelled artilleryNorth Korea +1,288
A · Philippines12
B · North Korea1,300
Towed artilleryNorth Korea +404
A · Philippines296
B · North Korea700
Multiple-launch rocket systemsNorth Korea +1,500
A · Philippines0
B · North Korea1,500
Financial and strategic
Defense budgetPhilippines +$1.8B
A · Philippines$6.6B
B · North Korea$4.8B
Defense budget share of GDPNorth Korea +30.3%
A · Philippines0.5%
B · North Korea30.8%
Estimated nuclear warheadsNorth Korea +60
A · Philippines0
B · North Korea60
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.