China Isn’t the Strongest Military in Asia

The four most influential countries in Asia are China, Russia, India, and Japan. With their economic power, global influence, and combined military might, these four countries are a force. While the United States may rank as the most powerful nation, militarily speaking, these countries can each hold their own with their impressive militaries. One common thread between the most powerful militaries on the Asian continent is their air power. Russia, India, and China each boast some of the strongest air forces in the world, exerting dominance over their respective territories.

According to the United Nations, there are 48 Asian countries in what is best known as the world’s biggest continent. These smaller nations on the continent do not fully exert military dominance on the world stage; instead, they fall into a hierarchy of power within different regions, each of these countries exhibiting different strengths and weaknesses.

To determine the countries with the strongest military might in Asia, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2024 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Global Firepower ranked 145 countries based on their PowerIndex, a composite of over 60 measures in categories such as military might, financials, logistical capability, and geography. The smaller the PowerIndex value, the more powerful a nation’s theoretical conventional fighting capability is. We also included supplemental information regarding active military personnel, military aircraft, vehicles, and naval power.

Over recent decades, China has vastly improved its military capabilities on different levels. From developing new fifth-generation fighter aircraft to expanding its navy, the People’s Liberation Army has greatly improved China’s standing on the world stage as a global superpower.

Comparatively, Russia draws much of its military strength from the Cold War era, when it saw a massive expansion of its military to fit its global ambitions. Despite the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1980s, Russia has still maintained much of its military strength and is even exerting much of it now in Ukraine.

Why Does This Matter?

According to Paul Bracken with Yale University’s Department of Political Science, Asian nations have built up their military might for decades now. Beginning with India testing nuclear weapons in 1998 and fast-forwarding to Russia’s press to take Ukraine today, the growth of Asia’s military might should not be discounted.

Here is a look at the strongest militaries in Asia.

45. Bhutan

Military strength score: 6.3704
Active military personnel: 7,500
Total military aircraft: 2
Total military vehicles: 108
Total navy ships and submarines: 0

44. Nepal

Military strength score: 2.8962
Active military personnel: 95,000
Total military aircraft: 15
Total military vehicles: 2,216
Total navy ships and submarines: 0

43. Lebanon

Military strength score: 2.4283
Active military personnel: 60,000
Total military aircraft: 81
Total military vehicles: 4,522
Total navy ships and submarines: 69

42. Afghanistan

Military strength score: 2.2715
Active military personnel: 0
Total military aircraft: 17
Total military vehicles: 6,555
Total navy ships and submarines: 0

41. Laos

Military strength score: 2.2071
Active military personnel: 100,000
Total military aircraft: 34
Total military vehicles: 1,880
Total navy ships and submarines: 0

40. Cambodia

Military strength score: 2.1725
Active military personnel: 221,000
Total military aircraft: 24
Total military vehicles: 4,094
Total navy ships and submarines: 31

39. Tajikistan

Military strength score: 2.1265
Active military personnel: 9,500
Total military aircraft: 25
Total military vehicles: 4,650
Total navy ships and submarines: 0

38. Mongolia

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Military strength score: 2.1079
Active military personnel: 35,000
Total military aircraft: 11
Total military vehicles: 3,600
Total navy ships and submarines: 0

37. Armenia

Military strength score: 2.0583
Active military personnel: 57,500
Total military aircraft: 64
Total military vehicles: 736
Total navy ships and submarines: 0

36. Kyrgyzstan

Military strength score: 2.0057
Active military personnel: 23,000
Total military aircraft: 6
Total military vehicles: 2,772
Total navy ships and submarines: 0

35. Bahrain

Military strength score: 1.7163
Active military personnel: 18,400
Total military aircraft: 120
Total military vehicles: 2,598
Total navy ships and submarines: 58

34. Georgia

Military strength score: 1.6969
Active military personnel: 55,000
Total military aircraft: 52
Total military vehicles: 5,256
Total navy ships and submarines: 19

33. Turkmenistan

Military strength score: 1.4906
Active military personnel: 36,500
Total military aircraft: 90
Total military vehicles: 8,312
Total navy ships and submarines: 44

32. Yemen

Military strength score: 1.4692
Active military personnel: 66,700
Total military aircraft: 177
Total military vehicles: 4,800
Total navy ships and submarines: 38

31. Jordan

Military strength score: 1.4651
Active military personnel: 100,500
Total military aircraft: 265
Total military vehicles: 24,148
Total navy ships and submarines: 27

30. Oman

Military strength score: 1.4448
Active military personnel: 42,600
Total military aircraft: 128
Total military vehicles: 5,019
Total navy ships and submarines: 22

29. Kuwait

Military strength score: 1.4261
Active military personnel: 72,000
Total military aircraft: 144
Total military vehicles: 4,409
Total navy ships and submarines: 123

28. Sri Lanka

Military strength score: 1.3459
Active military personnel: 346,000
Total military aircraft: 86
Total military vehicles: 3,708
Total navy ships and submarines: 270

27. Uzbekistan

Military strength score: 1.1069
Active military personnel: 48,000
Total military aircraft: 191
Total military vehicles: 5,526
Total navy ships and submarines: 0

26. Qatar

Military strength score: 1.0789
Active military personnel: 66,550
Total military aircraft: 228
Total military vehicles: 5,544
Total navy ships and submarines: 123

25. Syria

Military strength score: 1.0026
Active military personnel: 170,000
Total military aircraft: 452
Total military vehicles: 14,550
Total navy ships and submarines: 47

24. Azerbaijan

Military strength score: 0.9934
Active military personnel: 126,400
Total military aircraft: 144
Total military vehicles: 29,312
Total navy ships and submarines: 24

23. Kazakhstan

Military strength score: 0.9495
Active military personnel: 110,000
Total military aircraft: 243
Total military vehicles: 6,012
Total navy ships and submarines: 18

22. United Arab Emirates

Military strength score: 0.8083
Active military personnel: 65,000
Total military aircraft: 560
Total military vehicles: 12,253
Total navy ships and submarines: 79

21. Iraq

Military strength score: 0.7441
Active military personnel: 193,000
Total military aircraft: 371
Total military vehicles: 39,872
Total navy ships and submarines: 68

20. Malaysia

Military strength score: 0.5992
Active military personnel: 113,000
Total military aircraft: 143
Total military vehicles: 13,965
Total navy ships and submarines: 101

19. Bangladesh

Military strength score: 0.5419
Active military personnel: 163,000
Total military aircraft: 216
Total military vehicles: 13,100
Total navy ships and submarines: 117

18. North Korea

Military strength score: 0.5313
Active military personnel: 1,320,000
Total military aircraft: 951
Total military vehicles: 24,696
Total navy ships and submarines: 505

17. Myanmar

Military strength score: 0.5251
Active military personnel: 150,000
Total military aircraft: 293
Total military vehicles: 8,139
Total navy ships and submarines: 227

16. Philippines

Military strength score: 0.4691
Active military personnel: 150,000
Total military aircraft: 195
Total military vehicles: 7,562
Total navy ships and submarines: 111

15. Singapore

Military strength score: 0.4087
Active military personnel: 51,000
Total military aircraft: 247
Total military vehicles: 8,318
Total navy ships and submarines: 43

14. Thailand

Military strength score: 0.3389
Active military personnel: 360,850
Total military aircraft: 501
Total military vehicles: 14,040
Total navy ships and submarines: 293

13. Taiwan

Military strength score: 0.3302
Active military personnel: 215,000
Total military aircraft: 750
Total military vehicles: 19,868
Total navy ships and submarines: 93

12. Saudi Arabia

Military strength score: 0.3235
Active military personnel: 257,000
Total military aircraft: 914
Total military vehicles: 20,694
Total navy ships and submarines: 57

11. Vietnam

Military strength score: 0.3158
Active military personnel: 600,000
Total military aircraft: 226
Total military vehicles: 18,578
Total navy ships and submarines: 97

10. Israel

Military strength score: 0.2596
Active military personnel: 170,000
Total military aircraft: 612
Total military vehicles: 43,407
Total navy ships and submarines: 67

9. Iran

Military strength score: 0.2269
Active military personnel: 610,000
Total military aircraft: 551
Total military vehicles: 65,765
Total navy ships and submarines: 101

8. Indonesia

Military strength score: 0.2251
Active military personnel: 400,000
Total military aircraft: 474
Total military vehicles: 11,604
Total navy ships and submarines: 333

7. Pakistan

Military strength score: 0.1711
Active military personnel: 654,000
Total military aircraft: 1,434
Total military vehicles: 50,523
Total navy ships and submarines: 114

6. Turkey

Military strength score: 0.1697
Active military personnel: 355,200
Total military aircraft: 1,069
Total military vehicles: 55,104
Total navy ships and submarines: 186

5. Japan

Military strength score: 0.1601
Active military personnel: 247,150
Total military aircraft: 1,459
Total military vehicles: 37,662
Total navy ships and submarines: 155

4. South Korea

Military strength score: 0.1416
Active military personnel: 600,000
Total military aircraft: 1,576
Total military vehicles: 66,492
Total navy ships and submarines: 200

3. India

Military strength score: 0.1023
Active military personnel: 1,455,550
Total military aircraft: 2,296
Total military vehicles: 151,248
Total navy ships and submarines: 294

2. China

Military strength score: 0.0706
Active military personnel: 2,035,000
Total military aircraft: 3,304
Total military vehicles: 174,300
Total navy ships and submarines: 730

1. Russia

Military strength score: 0.0702
Active military personnel: 1,320,000
Total military aircraft: 4,255
Total military vehicles: 161,382
Total navy ships and submarines: 781

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