15 Countries That Have the Best Military in the World

2. China

GDP (2023): $17.7 trillion

Defense Expenditure (2023): $296.4 billion

Technological Capabilities Rank: 12

Nuclear Weapons: 350

Manpower: 2,035,000

Special Forces Rank: N/A

Tanks: 5,000

Artillery: 8,464

Aircraft/Fighter Jets: 2,084

Aircraft Carriers: 2

Submarines: 61

Military Satellites: 125

Overseas Military Bases: 1

Cyber capabilities Rank: 2

Weighted Score: 4.37

China has the largest standing military in the world, with more than two million active troops. The country has been actively narrowing the gap on the United States for global hegemony, driven by its high technological advancement levels and a large economy that has gone past the $17 trillion mark. President Xi Jinping’s government spent over $296 billion on defense expenditure in 2023 to further strengthen the country’s military, which is already equipped with a large number of nuclear weapons, fighter jets, and naval assets.