China has been revealed as the strongest military in the world, scoring 82/100 points in a new study from Military Direct. Russia are 2nd with 69 and UK is 9th with 43 – higher than Germany (39) but below France (58) USA scores highly for its budget of $723bn
In a conflict China would win by sea, USA by air and Russia by land
USA wins in an aerial war with 14,141 total airships – vs Russia with 4,682 and China with 3,587
The Russian Federation wins in a land war, with 54,866 vehicles vs USA for 50,326 and China with 41,641
China wins in a sea war, with 406 ships vs Russia with 278 and USA/India with 202
Russia has the biggest nuclear capacity with 6375 available nuclear weapons
Canada best paid military in world scoring 26/30 for average private, sergeant and lieutenant salaries
Russia has the fittest soldiers, carrying 70k of equipment. UK comes 2nd with 64k.
Saudi Arabia has the most active soldiers – 95% of the force
Military Direct took a list of the world’s biggest military machines, and scored each up to 10 points on a variety of military success criterias – including budgets, number of inactive and active military personnel, total air, sea, land and nuclear resources, average salaries, and weight of equipment – out of a top total score of 100.
Which world military has the biggest budget? The world’s biggest military spender with a budget of $732 billion per year is the USA. China comes 2nd, with $261 billion followed by India at $71 billion. The UK is of course much smaller, with $48.7 billion, putting us just below France and Japan but above the US and South Korea. But with the UK Government looking to add $21.9 billion to their budget in 2021, rankings could definitely change in the future.
Who would win in an aerial conflict? USA wins in an aerial war with 14,141 total airships – vs Russia with 4,682 and China with 3,587.
Who would win in a land war? The Russian Federation wins in a land war, with 54,866 vehicles vs USA for 50,326 and China with 41,641.
Who would win in a naval war? China wins in a sea war, with 406 ships vs Russia with 278 and USA/India with 202.
China would win by sea, USA by air and Russia by land.
Which army has the most nuclear capacity? Russia has biggest nuclear capacity with 6375 available nuclear weapons. The USA lands in second with 5800, followed by China with 320. France and the UK make up the rest of the top five.
Which army is the best paid in the world? Armies were scored up to 10 points for average salaries across private, sergeant and lieutenant roles, out of a total of 30 points. Canada comes top with 26/30, followed by France with 23/30 and the UK with 20/30.
Which army is the fittest? Based on the heaviness of the standard equipment carried, it’s the Russian Federation with the world’s toughest soldiers, having to carry an enormous 70kgs of kit. The United Kingdom comes 2nd place with 64kg, followed by the United States in 3rd place with 45kg.
Which army is the most active in the world? Saudi Arabia has the largest percentage of active soldiers available for combat, with 95% of them ready to go at any time. Germany comes 2nd, with 86% and Japan 3rd with 78%.
Ben Slater, MD of Military Direct said: “The Ultimate Military Strength Index measures each country’s military strength based on a variety of factors – including total resources for aerial, naval and land combat, size and salaries of armies, and equipment carried – we wanted to answer once and for all which world military, at least on paper, is the strongest. Which would win in a hypothetical fight?”
“China ranks number one in our index, scoring highly across all factors. The USA might beat it in terms of budgets and aerial capacities, but overall China comes out as the winner. China has made some pretty significant strides in terms of modernising its military over the last couple of decades and pushed to become the dominant naval force in the world.”
“The UK, for such a small country, is no slouch. We make the top 10 strongest armies in the world, and score highly for fitness, active numbers and salary.”
