China vs India: Military spending
China
349.48 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2023
India
95.30 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2023
China rank
2nd
India rank
4th
Military spending over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 349.48 billion constant 2022 US$ against 95.30 billion constant 2022 US$ in India, a difference of 254.17 billion constant 2022 US$.
That makes China's figure about 3.7 times India's.
Across all 77 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 2nd and India ranks 4th of 172 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 9 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 9.54 billion constant 2022 US$ | 3.24 billion constant 2022 US$ | 6.29 billion constant 2022 US$ | China |
| 1950s | 32.61 billion constant 2022 US$ | 4.21 billion constant 2022 US$ | 28.40 billion constant 2022 US$ | China |
| 1960s | 67.03 billion constant 2022 US$ | 9.04 billion constant 2022 US$ | 57.99 billion constant 2022 US$ | China |
| 1970s | 106.43 billion constant 2022 US$ | 10.82 billion constant 2022 US$ | 95.61 billion constant 2022 US$ | China |
| 1980s | 49.87 billion constant 2022 US$ | 14.08 billion constant 2022 US$ | 35.79 billion constant 2022 US$ | China |
| 1990s | 42.09 billion constant 2022 US$ | 17.40 billion constant 2022 US$ | 24.69 billion constant 2022 US$ | China |
| 2000s | 75.87 billion constant 2022 US$ | 30.04 billion constant 2022 US$ | 45.83 billion constant 2022 US$ | China |
| 2010s | 171.12 billion constant 2022 US$ | 58.48 billion constant 2022 US$ | 112.63 billion constant 2022 US$ | China |
| 2020s | 322.23 billion constant 2022 US$ | 92.15 billion constant 2022 US$ | 230.08 billion constant 2022 US$ | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending, China or India?
- China, at 349.48 billion constant 2022 US$ against 95.30 billion constant 2022 US$ in India as of 2023.
- What is the difference in military spending between China and India?
- 254.17 billion constant 2022 US$, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 77 years are reported by both, from 1947 to 2023.
- How do China and India rank globally for military spending?
- China ranks 2nd and India ranks 4th of 172 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Barnum et al. – Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Military spending. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
This data is expressed in US dollars. It is adjusted for inflation but does not account for differences in the cost of living between countries.