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India vs Pakistan military power 2025 shows India ranks 4th globally with a $75B budget and 1.4M troops, while Pakistan ranks 12th with $7.6B and 654K troops. India vs Pakistan military power 2025 highlights India’s superior military capability.
PWOnlyIAS
May 09, 2025
India vs Pakistan Military Power: Following the tragic incident of the Pahalgam Terrorist Attack, India has taken decisive steps to enhance national security. Among these is the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, a landmark agreement with Pakistan that had been in place for over sixty years. As tensions escalate, an important question arises: who holds the upper hand in terms of military strength—India or Pakistan?
Interested candidates must read on to get a comprehensive overview of India vs Pakistan Military Power in 2025, offering a detailed military power comparison across land, air, naval, and financial capabilities. This India vs Pakistan military power comparison 2025 draws on reasonable data to objectively evaluate the defence strength of both nations.
The military strength of a nation is a combination of manpower, equipment, logistics, and financial capability. In the case of India vs Pakistan Military Power 2025, India significantly outpaces Pakistan in most military dimensions.
As per the Power Index rankings (PwrIndx), India holds the 4th position globally (0.1184), while Pakistan stands at 12th (0.2513). This reflects a wide gap in strategic capability.
Manpower forms the backbone of any military strategy. India holds a considerable advantage over Pakistan in terms of military personnel and available reserves.
| India vs Pakistan Manpower Comparison | ||
| Category | India | Pakistan |
| Total Population | 1,409,128,296 (Rank 2) | 252,363,571 (Rank 5) |
| Available Manpower | 662,290,299 | 108,516,336 |
| Fit-for-Service | 522,786,598 | 85,803,614 |
| Reaching Military Age Annually | 23,955,181 | 4,794,908 |
| Active Personnel | 1,455,550 | 654,000 |
| Reserve Personnel | 1,155,000 | 550,000 |
| Paramilitary Forces | 2,527,000 | 500,000 |
The figures above clearly demonstrate India’s numerical superiority. This dominance provides India strategic depth during both peacetime operations and prolonged conflicts.
A military’s efficiency is closely tied to its financial capability. In terms of economic and financial strength, India significantly surpasses Pakistan:
| India vs Pakistan Defence Budget and Financial Resources | ||
| Category | India | Pakistan |
| Defence Budget | $75 Billion (Rank 4) | $7.64 Billion (Rank 38) |
| External Debt | $371 Billion | $92 Billion |
| Foreign Reserve | $627 Billion | $13.7 Billion |
| Purchasing Power | $13.1 Trillion | $1.34 Trillion |
The India vs Pakistan Defence Budget difference speaks volumes. India’s budget enables acquisition of modern weapons, advanced technologies, and funding for indigenous defence programs like DRDO and HAL.
Air superiority is essential for rapid and long-range offensive capabilities. In the India vs Pakistan Air Force Comparison 2025, India clearly leads in quantity and technological sophistication.
| India vs Pakistan Air Force Comparison 2025 | ||
| Airpower Category | India | Pakistan |
| Total Aircraft | 2,229 | 1,399 |
| Fighter Aircraft | 513 | 328 |
| Dedicated Attack Aircraft | 130 | 90 |
| Transports | 270 | 64 |
| Trainers | 351 | 565 |
| Special-Mission Aircraft | 74 | 27 |
| Aerial Tankers | 6 | 4 |
| Helicopters | 899 | 373 |
| Attack Helicopters | 80 | 57 |
India’s multi-role aircraft like Rafale and Su-30 MKI give it an edge in combat readiness. Meanwhile, Pakistan primarily relies on JF-17s, developed with Chinese collaboration.
Ground forces are important for territorial defence and large-scale military operations. India dominates this space in most areas, though Pakistan holds advantages in certain artillery categories.
| Land Warfare Capabilities | ||
| Category | India | Pakistan |
| Tanks | 4,201 | 2,627 |
| Armored Vehicles | 148,594 | 17,516 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 100 | 662 |
| Towed Artillery | 3,975 | 2,629 |
| Rocket Projectors | 264 | 600 |
India maintains a broad tank fleet including T-90s and Arjun MBTs. Pakistan’s higher self-propelled artillery count enhances its rapid strike capabilities, but lacks support from armored vehicles.
Naval strength determines a nation’s capacity to project force across oceans. In the India vs Pakistan Military Rank in naval capability, India’s position is firmly ahead.
| India vs Pakistan Military Rank in Naval Power | ||
| Naval Category | India | Pakistan |
| Fleet Strength | 293 (Rank 6) | 121 (Rank 27) |
| Aircraft Carriers | 2 | 0 |
| Submarines | 18 | 8 |
| Destroyers | 13 | 0 |
| Frigates | 14 | 9 |
| Corvettes | 18 | 9 |
| Patrol Vessels | 135 | 69 |
India’s naval force is increasingly geared towards blue-water operations, while Pakistan’s is largely coastal. Notably, India’s indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant adds major strategic weight in the India vs China navy comparison too.
Logistics enhance force mobility and endurance. India’s advantage here is based on its broader economic infrastructure.
| Strategic Logistics and Infrastructure | ||
| Category | India | Pakistan |
| Airports | 311 | 116 |
| Merchant Marine | 1,859 | 60 |
| Ports & Terminals | 56 | 3 |
| Labor Force | 593 Million | 80 Million |
From merchant shipping to port infrastructure, India can support sustained overseas deployments and wartime mobilization far more effectively.
India’s 2025 military power ranking (4th globally) reflects consistent modernization and doctrine development. With active participation in joint exercises, space militarization, and AI-based warfare systems, India is rapidly transforming into a modern military force.
On the other hand, Pakistan, though well-equipped and battle-hardened, faces limitations due to its economic constraints and smaller industrial base.
Taking all factors into account—manpower, airpower, land forces, navy, logistics, and financial resources—India maintains clear superiority over Pakistan in the India vs Pakistan Military Power comparison 2025.
India’s military capability is further amplified by its strong defence manufacturing base, space technology, nuclear triad, and diplomatic influence. Pakistan, while a challenging regional power with a powerful nuclear deterrent, struggles with budget constraints and technological dependency.
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