Army / Ground Forces
- Tanks
- 5,870
- Armored vehicles
- 152,040
- Self-propelled artillery
- 2,940
- Towed artillery
- 1,400
- MLRS
- 2,770
2026 military profile
China Military Power
Asia · Rank #2 of 145
70.1Strength Scoreout of 100 — #2 globally
How this score is calculatedChina military overview
In the MilitaryDex 2026 data edition, China ranks #2 of 145 countries with an MSS score of 70.1/100. The profile reports 2,035,000 active personnel, 3,529 total aircraft, 5,870 tanks and 403 naval assets, supported by an estimated annual defense budget of $303.0B.
Its highest normalized MSS category is Nuclear (75/100); its lowest is Financial (30/100). These are relative inventory scores, not assessments of readiness or combat effectiveness.
Profile scope
- Data edition
- 2026
- Indicators
- 29 fields
- Country set
- 145
- Regional rank
- #1 of 29
- Missing data
- Shown as N/A
KEY MILITARY STATISTICS
Active troops
2,035,000
↑1153% vs avg
Reserve troops
510,000
Total aircraft
3,529
↑883% vs avg
Naval assets
403
↑759% vs avg
Defense budget
$303.0B
Nuclear warheads
620
Regional and population context
Rank in Asia
#1
of 29 profiles
Population
1,406,585,000
World Bank 2025
Nominal GDP
$19.5T
World Bank 2025
Land area
9,388,210 km²
World Bank 2023
Budget per resident
$215.415
derived from reported budget and population
Active troops per 1,000
1.45
population-normalized
Regional medians
150,000 troops
168 aircraft
Army, air force and navy inventory
Air Force
- Total aircraft
- 3,529
- Fighters
- 1,443
- Attack aircraft
- 371
- Transport aircraft
- 708
- Helicopters
- 1,007
- Attack helicopters
- 281
Navy
- Total vessels
- 403
- Aircraft carriers
- 3
- Destroyers
- 53
- Submarines
- 61
- Frigates
- 46
- Patrol vessels
- 150
MSS category profile
Normalized against the largest value in the 2026 country set. The listed weight is each category's contribution to the overall score.
Manpower (25% weight)55/100
Air Force (20% weight)41/100
Navy (15% weight)73/100
Army (15% weight)67/100
Financial (15% weight)30/100
Nuclear (10% weight)75/100
Related MilitaryDex records
Selected equipment originating in China
Selected bases operated by China
PLA Support Base Djibouti
Naval · Djibouti City, Djibouti
Yulin Naval Base
Naval · Hainan Island, China
Compare China
China military power FAQ
What is China's military rank in 2026?
MilitaryDex ranks China #2 of 145 countries using its inventory-based MSS formula. This is a MilitaryDex calculation, not an official government ranking.
How large are China's armed forces?
The current profile reports 2,035,000 active personnel, 510,000 reserve personnel and 625,000 paramilitary personnel.
Does a higher score mean China would win a war?
No. MSS summarizes selected inventory and spending figures. It does not model readiness, training, geography, alliances, logistics, doctrine, technology quality or political objectives.