The armies’ comparison by the size

The army size directly depends on the country’s population and its mobilization potential. In the table below there is the information about human resources, mobilization potential and armed forces size of China and South Korea in 2025.

ТThus, China leaves behind South Korea by the number of soldiers in the service and by its mobilization potential.

Let’s note that the above mentioned data show only the quantitative characteristics without taking into account the professional level of military personnel and the quality (basic skills, physical condition, etc.) of the mobilized and conscripts.

It’s more difficult to estimate such parameters as motivation, combat spirit and soldier’s steadfastness, the ability and wish to perform their duties up to the end.

The comparison of military budgets    up↑

The military financing greatly depends on the country’s wealth – the stronger the economy is developed, the more finance can be allocated for the military expenses. As for the economy size, China with its GDP of 38154 billion dollars (which was calculated by purchasing power parity) surpasses South Korea with its GDP of 3245 billion dollars in times.

China and South Korea send 0,7 % and 1,43 % of GDP to the military expenses, respectively. As a result, the military budget of China is 266.9 billion dollars and of South Korea is 46.3 billion dollars.

Hence, the military expenses of China are times higher than in South Korea.

The comparison of armament     up↑

In the table below there is the information about some types of armament which are at the disposal of China and South Korea (we account the total amount of weapons in 2025, without considering modifications, the year of release and departmental affiliation):

China and South Korea have naval forces. The total displacement of the military fleet of China is 1285,9 thousand tons, South Korea - 239,8 thousand tons.

China is in the nuclear club. In the country’s arsenal they have 600 nuclear warheads. South Korea doesn’t have nuclear weapons at present.

The comparison by the combat power index    up↑

While contrasting the armed forces of China and South Korea one can orient on military strength ranking from GlobalFirepower (GFP). The GFP experts have analyzed more than 60 different factors which affect the defense ability of different countries and the effectiveness of their armed forces. As a result, they have calculated the combat power index. The lower it is, the stronger in the military sense the country is.

As of 2024, the countries under consideration take the following positions in GlobalFirepower rating:

● China - 3 position in the world according to the combat power index 0.0788;

● South Korea - 5 position in the world according to the combat power index 0.1656;

Thus, according to the GlobalFirepower, the more combat-ready are the armed forces of China.