Cash vs. Crude: China Spends $267 B on Defense; Russia Banks on an 80 B‑Barrel Oil Reserve to Stay in the Game

Behind the United States, Russia and China stand as the top two military powers in the world. Each country boasts a unique arsenal that makes for a formidable military force. On one hand, Russia is home to the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons as well as the largest tank and artillery force. On the other, […] The post Cash vs. Crude: China Spends $267 B on Defense; Russia Banks on an 80 B‑Barrel Oil Reserve to Stay in the Game appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

May 7, 2025 - 16:00

Cash vs. Crude: China Spends $267 B on Defense; Russia Banks on an 80 B‑Barrel Oil Reserve to Stay in the Game

Key Points

China and Russia are among the top three military powers in the world today, each with a unique arsenal
Russia holds the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world as well as the largest tank and artillery force
China is home to the world’s largest standing army and the fastest-growing naval force on the planet
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Behind the United States, Russia and China stand as the top two military powers in the world. Each country boasts a unique arsenal that makes for a formidable military force. On one hand, Russia is home to the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons as well as the largest tank and artillery force. On the other, China commands the world’s largest standing army along with the fastest growing naval force. Each of these superpowers is on the cutting-edge of aviation with fifth-generation aircraft that can rival U.S. air superiority. Here, 24/7 Wall St. is exploring how these two military powers match up across multiple fronts.

To compare Russia and China, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2025 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Global Firepower ranked 145 countries based on their PowerIndex, a composite of over 60 measures in categories such as military might, financials, logistical capability, and geography. The smaller the PowerIndex value the more powerful a nation’s theoretical conventional fighting capability is. We included multiple factors in the comparison across different fields ranging from economics, land power, air power, and naval power, as well as a few others to give a full picture to how these countries measure up.

Here, 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at how these countries match up across multiple sectors ranging from military prowess to economic strength.

Here is a look at how Russia and China compare on these fronts:

Why Are We Covering This?

Earth photo at night, City Lights of Europe, Middle East, Turkey, Italy, Black Sea, Mediterrenian Sea from space, World map on dark globe on satellite photo. Elements of this image furnished by NASA.

In this rapidly evolving world, the comparison of military power between countries serves as a measure of global stability. This analysis is important not just for understanding each nation’s defense capabilities, but also should an offensive conflict arise. While superpowers like the United States, China, and Russia dominate headlines with their military resources, other nations also play important roles in regional security dynamics and geopolitical relations. This analysis seeks to understand these countries from a base level of assets, resources, manpower, and economics.

Russia Financials

Coins of Russia. First Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin depicted in the Russian commemorative 10 ruble coin.

Purchasing power parity: $5,816,000,000,000
Foreign exchange reserves and gold: $597,217,000,000
Defense budget: $126,000,000,000 – #3 out of 145
External debt: 317,650,500,000

China Financials

Purchasing power parity: $31,227,000,000,000
Foreign exchange reserves and gold: $3,450,000,000,000
Defense budget: $266,850,000,000 – #2 out of 145
External debt: 1,218,458,500,000

Russia Population

Total population: 140,820,810
Population reaching military age: 1,267,387
Population fit-for-service: 46,189,226

China Population

Total population: 1,415,043,270
Population reaching military age: 19,810,606
Population fit-for-service: 626,864,169

Russia Manpower

Russia military | Close up hands russian soldier man dressed military camouflage uniform holds weapon in woodland at soldiers background. Male border guard in country border holding machine gun on war. Copy text space