China vs India: Military spending, per square kilometre
China
31,126 constant 2024 US$ per square kilometre
in 2023
India
28,667 constant 2024 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 31,126 constant 2024 US$ per square kilometre against 28,667 constant 2024 US$ per square kilometre in India, a difference of 2,459 constant 2024 US$ per square kilometre.
That makes China's figure about 1.1 times India's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 35 shared years of data; in 1989 it was India ahead.
China ranks 39th and India ranks 42nd of 161 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, China averaged higher in 1 and India in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2,120 constant 2024 US$ per square kilometre | 7,465 constant 2024 US$ per square kilometre | 5,345 constant 2024 US$ per square kilometre | India |
| 1990s | 2,934 constant 2024 US$ per square kilometre | 7,924 constant 2024 US$ per square kilometre | 4,990 constant 2024 US$ per square kilometre | India |
| 2000s | 8,114 constant 2024 US$ per square kilometre | 13,601 constant 2024 US$ per square kilometre | 5,486 constant 2024 US$ per square kilometre | India |
| 2010s | 20,021 constant 2024 US$ per square kilometre | 21,696 constant 2024 US$ per square kilometre | 1,675 constant 2024 US$ per square kilometre | India |
| 2020s | 28,888 constant 2024 US$ per square kilometre | 27,610 constant 2024 US$ per square kilometre | 1,278 constant 2024 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 31,126 constant 2024 US$ per square kilometre against 28,667 constant 2024 US$ per square kilometre in India as of 2023.
- What is the difference in military spending, per square kilometre between China and India?
- 2,459 constant 2024 US$ per square kilometre, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1989 to 2023.
- How do China and India rank globally for military spending, per square kilometre?
- China ranks 39th and India ranks 42nd of 161 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.