Here's a detailed comparative analysis of the India vs Pakistan military, covering all major aspects including manpower, defense budgets, strategic forces, technology, nuclear capabilities, air, land, and naval power, global alliances, and modernization efforts.

🇮🇳 India vs 🇵🇰 Pakistan Military Comparison (2025)

1. Overview

Category

India 🇮🇳

Pakistan 🇵🇰

Global Military Rank (2025)*

4th (Global Firepower)

9th (Global Firepower)

Border Length Shared

~3,323 km (including LoC)

~3,323 km

Main Areas of Conflict

Kashmir, LoC, Terrorism

Kashmir, Strategic Depth

2. Manpower

Metric

India

Pakistan

Total Population (2025 est.)

~1.44 billion

~245 million

Active Personnel

~1.45 million

~654,000

Reserve Personnel

~1.15 million

~550,000

Paramilitary Forces

~2.5 million (CAPF + others)

~385,000 (Rangers, FC, etc.)

3. Defense Budget

Metric

India

Pakistan

Annual Budget (2024–25)

~$75 billion (2.4% of GDP)

~$11.5 billion (3.8% of GDP)

Global Rank in Budget

4th

22nd

4. Nuclear Capabilities

Feature

India

Pakistan

Nuclear Weapons

~160 warheads

~170 warheads

Nuclear Doctrine

No First Use (NFU)

First Use (ambiguity policy)

Delivery Systems

Land, Air, Sea-based (triad)

Land & Air-based primarily

Notable Missiles

Agni series (I-V), Prithvi

Shaheen series, Ghauri, Nasr

Second Strike Capability

Yes (SSBNs operational)

Developing

5. Air Force

Feature

India

Pakistan

Aircraft Inventory

~2,200+ total (IAF)

~1,400+ total (PAF)

Fighter Jets

~600–700 (Su-30MKI, Rafale, Mirage)

~400+ (JF-17, F-16, Mirage III/V)

AEW&C Systems

DRDO AEW&C, Phalcon

Saab 2000 AEW&C, ZDK-03

Transport Aircraft

C-17, C-130J, IL-76

C-130, CASA CN-235

UAVs/Drones

Heron, Rustom, Combat UAV dev.

Bayraktar TB2, Shahpar II

Modernization Focus

5th Gen AMCA, Tejas Mk2

JF-17 Block 3, Turkish drones

6. Army (Ground Forces)

Feature

India

Pakistan

Active Soldiers

~1.25 million (Indian Army)

~560,000

Main Battle Tanks (MBTs)

~4,800+ (T-90, Arjun, T-72)

~2,700+ (Al-Khalid, T-80UD, Type 85)

Armored Vehicles

~10,000+

~4,000+

Artillery (Towed + SPH)

~4,000+

~2,500+

Rocket Artillery

Pinaka, BM-21, Smerch

A-100, KRL series

Air Defense Systems

Akash, Barak-8, S-400 (Russia)

LY-80, HQ-9, NASAMS under consideration

7. Navy

Feature

India

Pakistan

Personnel

~67,000 (IN)

~23,000 (PN)

Aircraft Carriers

2 (INS Vikramaditya, INS Vikrant)

0

Submarines

16 (1 SSBN, 15 SSKs)

11 (diesel-electric)

Frigates

13+

7

Destroyers

10+

0

Naval Aviation

MiG-29K, P-8I, ALH

Sea King, ATR-72, Z-9EC

Modernization Programs

P75I submarines, nuclear sub fleet

Type 054A/P frigates, Hangor subs

8. Space and Cyber Warfare

Domain

India

Pakistan

Space Agency

ISRO (independent, global player)

SUPARCO (limited capabilities)

ASAT Capability

Demonstrated in 2019

Not confirmed

Cyber Warfare

Cyber Command under development

Cyber Command established

Satellite Assets

100+ military-use satellites

Limited surveillance capacity

9. Defense Industry & Self-Reliance

Feature

India

Pakistan

Indigenous Weapons

HAL Tejas, Arjun MBT, BrahMos, DRDO

Al-Khalid tank, JF-17 (with China)

Defense Exports

~$2.6 billion (2024)

~$0.2 billion

Make-in-India Program

Extensive localization, private sector

Relies heavily on China, Turkey

International Partners

Russia, France, USA, Israel

China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia

10. Alliances and Global Influence

Category

India

Pakistan

Major Defense Partners

US (Major Defense Partner), Quad

China (CPEC, military), Turkey

Multilateral Forums

BRICS, QUAD, SCO

OIC, SCO

Strategic Reach

Indian Ocean, Africa, SE Asia

Primarily regional (South Asia)

Conclusion

India’s Military Strengths:

  • Larger manpower and budget.
  • Strong tri-service capabilities including nuclear triad.
  • Technologically superior air force and navy.
  • Self-reliant defense production and space warfare capabilities.
  • Global military partnerships and strategic reach.

Pakistan’s Military Strengths:

  • Tactical readiness and experience in asymmetric warfare.
  • Close defense cooperation with China and Turkey.
  • Strong air defense system with Chinese assistance.
  • Tactical nuclear weapons with a first-use policy.
  • Effective use of proxy and hybrid warfare strategies.

Final Verdict:

While India possesses superior conventional military strength, Pakistan remains a formidable regional opponent, especially due to its nuclear posture and strategic alliances. A full-scale war would be catastrophic for both, hence, both nations rely on deterrence, diplomacy, and limited skirmishes (e.g., Kargil, 2016 Surgical Strikes, 2019 Balakot).