China vs India: Military spending, per square kilometre
China
37,225 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre
in 2023
India
32,053 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre
in 2023
China rank
39th
India rank
42nd
Military spending, per square kilometre over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 37,225 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre against 32,053 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre in India, a difference of 5,172 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre.
That makes China's figure about 1.2 times India's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 63 shared years of data; in 1961 it was China ahead.
China ranks 39th and India ranks 42nd of 171 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 4 and India in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7,397 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre | 3,213 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre | 4,184 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre | China |
| 1970s | 11,337 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre | 3,640 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre | 7,697 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre | China |
| 1980s | 5,312 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre | 4,735 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre | 576.81 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre | China |
| 1990s | 4,484 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre | 5,852 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre | 1,369 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre | India |
| 2000s | 8,081 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre | 10,103 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre | 2,022 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre | India |
| 2010s | 18,227 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre | 19,671 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre | 1,444 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre | India |
| 2020s | 34,322 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre | 30,993 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre | 3,330 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending, per square kilometre, China or India?
- China, at 37,225 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre against 32,053 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre in India as of 2023.
- What is the difference in military spending, per square kilometre between China and India?
- 5,172 constant 2022 US$ per square kilometre, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
- How do China and India rank globally for military spending, per square kilometre?
- China ranks 39th and India ranks 42nd of 171 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Statizoid (derived), published as Military spending, per square kilometre. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Military spending divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.