Visualized: The Military Strengths of India and Pakistan

Niccolo Conte
2025-05-09 09:22:00
www.visualcapitalist.com

Visualized: The Military Strengths of India and Pakistan

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The relations between Pakistan and India are becoming increasingly tense, with the neighbors currently engaged in an escalating armed conflict.

Both countries have been involved in several wars, armed conflicts, and military standoffs in the past, but have significantly different military capabilities.

This infographic compares the military strengths of India and Pakistan, using data from Global Firepower, SIPRI, and the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), along with population data from UNFPA.

India and Pakistan’s Military Capabilities, Compared

According to Global Firepower, India is the fourth-strongest military power in the world, with Pakistan ranking twelfth in global military strength rankings.

The table below compares various military capabilities of India and Pakistan as of 2025:

Category	India	Pakistan
Population (2024)	1.4B	245.2M
Military Expenditure (2024)	$86.1B	$10.2B
Active Military Personnel	1,455,550	654,000
Military Aircraft Fleet	2,229	1,399
Tank Fleet	4,201	2,627
Naval Fleet	293	121
Nuclear Warhead Inventories	180	170

With a population of over 1.4 billion, India leads in most military strength metrics among the two neighbors.

India spent $86.1 billion on military and defense in 2024, compared to Pakistan’s $10.2 billion.

India’s active military personnel strength of around 1.5 million troops is more than double that of Pakistan’s 654,000.

India also leads in military airpower with over 2,200 military aircraft, which include fighter jets, attack helicopters, transports, and more.

On land, India’s 4,201 tanks outnumber Pakistan’s tank fleet by a large margin. However, Pakistan has a larger fleet of self-propelled artillery vehicles and mobile rocket launchers (not shown in the graphic).

Both countries are nuclear powers, with a nearly equivalent number of nuclear warheads.

The Ongoing India-Pakistan Conflict

The current conflict began in April, when a group of militants attacked tourists in the India-administered region of Kashmir, killing 26 people. While Pakistan has denied involvement in these attacks, Indian police claims that two of the four militants were identified as Pakistani citizens.

In retaliation, the Indian armed forces launched “Operation Sindoor” on May 7, 2025, targeting “terrorist infrastructure” with missile strikes across nine sites in Pakistan, killing 31 people.

Both countries have contesting claims about the strikes from India. The Indian Ministry of Defence claims that no Pakistani military facilities were targeted, while Pakistan’s military claimed that three sites were hit, vowing to respond.

As of May 8, Delhi states that Pakistan “attempted to engage” over a dozen targets in India overnight with drones and missiles. Meanwhile, Islamabad denies involvement in these attacks and claims to have shot down 25 Indian drones in Pakistani territory.

Although the conflict is escalating, leaders from several other nations have called for restraint from both countries, encouraging them to de-escalate the armed dispute.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed this infographic, check out the Countries With the Most Nuclear Missiles, on the Voronoi app.

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