India Leads Military Spending, 9x Larger Than Pakistan

India has solidified its position as a global military powerhouse, ranking as the fifth-largest military spender worldwide. With a defence budget of approximately $73 billion in 2023, India has increased its military expenditure in recent years, significantly outpacing its regional counterpart, Pakistan. India’s military spending is nine times greater than Pakistan’s defence budget, which stands at around $8.6 billion in the same year. 
But it also has contended with China, another nuclear-armed neighbouring country, which spends four times more. India is ranked after the U.S., China, Russia, and Germany.

Pakistan is ranked 29th with $10 billion. 

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), global military spending increased by 9.4% in real terms in 2024, with the top five spenders, including U.S., China, Russia and Germany, accounting for 60% of the total, totalling $1.635 billion.

This report comes at a time when tensions are high between the two countries following the Pahalgam attack, and security at the Line of Control is tightened. 

“India is probably the only country with two active and long unresolved borders with nuclear-armed neighbours. We must cater for both,” a senior Indian military officer said. 

India currently spends only 1.9% of its GDP on defence, while it actually requires 2.5% to address the combined threat from China and Pak. 

China is swiftly modernising its military, which boasts a workforce of over two billion, across traditional sectors like land, air, and sea, as well as emerging areas like nuclear, space, and cyber warfare. Experts suggest that the official defence budget, which shows a consistent year-on-year increase, likely understates the true scale of China’s military spending.

In 2024, China revealed advancements in its military capabilities, showcasing enhanced stealth combat aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and uncrewed underwater vehicles.