China vs India
China vs India: Military spending
Military spending in 2025: 1.73% of GDP in China and 2.3% of GDP in India, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in India, by 0.57 percentage points, or 1.33 times that in China.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- India has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1989.
- In 2025, China ranked 74 and India ranked 43 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | China | India |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.73 | 2.3 |
| 2024 | 1.66 | 2.22 |
| 2023 | 1.62 | 2.36 |
| 2022 | 1.59 | 2.38 |
| 2021 | 1.57 | 2.47 |
| 2020 | 1.72 | 2.8 |
| 2019 | 1.65 | 2.55 |
| 2018 | 1.64 | 2.42 |
| 2017 | 1.68 | 2.53 |
| 2016 | 1.73 | 2.54 |
| 2015 | 1.74 | 2.46 |
| 2014 | 1.71 | 2.54 |
| 2013 | 1.68 | 2.55 |
| 2012 | 1.67 | 2.62 |
| 2011 | 1.63 | 2.7 |
| 2010 | 1.7 | 2.89 |
| 2009 | 1.86 | 3.13 |
| 2008 | 1.69 | 2.63 |
| 2007 | 1.72 | 2.48 |
| 2006 | 1.84 | 2.68 |
| 2005 | 1.85 | 2.91 |
| 2004 | 1.91 | 2.83 |
| 2003 | 1.97 | 2.68 |
| 2002 | 2.03 | 2.83 |
| 2001 | 1.96 | 2.92 |
| 2000 | 1.82 | 2.95 |
| 1999 | 1.86 | 2.96 |
| 1998 | 1.64 | 2.73 |
| 1997 | 1.62 | 2.65 |
| 1996 | 1.64 | 2.47 |
| 1995 | 1.68 | 2.58 |
| 1994 | 1.74 | 2.67 |
| 1993 | 1.99 | 2.82 |
| 1992 | 2.47 | 2.71 |
| 1991 | 2.31 | 2.91 |
| 1990 | 2.45 | 3.15 |
| 1989 | 2.45 | 3.53 |
| 1988 | – | 3.73 |
| 1987 | – | 4.23 |
| 1986 | – | 4.11 |
| 1985 | – | 3.57 |
| 1984 | – | 3.42 |
| 1983 | – | 3.32 |
| 1982 | – | 3.35 |
| 1981 | – | 3.19 |
| 1980 | – | 3.13 |
| 1979 | – | 3.26 |
| 1978 | – | 3.13 |
| 1977 | – | 3.16 |
| 1976 | – | 3.48 |
| 1975 | – | 3.54 |
| 1974 | – | 3.2 |
| 1973 | – | 3.16 |
| 1972 | – | 3.72 |
| 1971 | – | 3.65 |
| 1970 | – | 3.19 |
| 1969 | – | 3.14 |
| 1968 | – | 3.25 |
| 1967 | – | 3.22 |
| 1966 | – | 3.57 |
| 1965 | – | 3.87 |
| 1964 | – | 3.82 |
| 1963 | – | 4.03 |
| 1962 | – | 2.75 |
| 1961 | – | 2.07 |
| 1960 | – | 2 |
| 1959 | – | 2.14 |
| 1958 | – | 1.92 |
| 1957 | – | 2.48 |
| 1956 | – | 2.02 |
- Estimate
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the country spends on its armed forces and defence, as a share of its economy, by SIPRI’s count.
- Source: Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Military Expenditure Database, https://doi.org/10.55163/CQGC9685.
- Marked points are SIPRI’s own: a dot where it gives the figure as its estimate, a ring where it calls the figure highly uncertain.
- Ranks count the 151 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
China vs India
Health
- Life expectancyChina: 78 years in 2023India: 72 years in 2023
- Child mortalityChina: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024India: 2.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityChina: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023India: 22.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionChina: 3.31% in 2017India: 3.53% in 2017
- Suicide rateChina: 7.2 per 100,000 people in 2017India: 15.6 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationChina: 1.42 billion people in 2023India: 1.44 billion people in 2023
- Population growthChina: -0.24% a year in 2023India: 0.89% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateChina: 1 births per woman in 2023India: 1.98 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationChina: 66.3% in 2025India: 35.7% in 2025
- Median ageChina: 39.1 years in 2023India: 28.1 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overChina: 14.3% in 2023India: 6.9% in 2023
- Net migration rateChina: -0.4 per 1,000 people in 2023India: -0.7 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending in US dollarsChina: $335B in 2025India: $93.3B in 2025
- Military spending per personChina: $237 in 2025India: $63 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingChina: 5.1% of government spending in 2025India: 8.2% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelChina: 2.54 million people in 2020India: 3.07 million people in 2020
- National powerChina: 23.41% of world capability in 2022India: 9.94% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersChina: 0.33% of the labour force in 2020India: 0.58% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsChina: 207 million TIV in 2025India: 2.86 billion TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsChina: 880 million TIV in 2025India: 81 million TIV in 2025