South Korea
Wins 18/25
Japan
Wins 7/25South Korea leads on 18 of 25 tracked categories.
South Korea holds the stronger Global Firepower rank (#5).
South Korea and Japan are compared here on public military strength data, with South Korea holding the stronger Global Firepower rank over Japan. The sharpest gap is in tanks, South Korea leads at 1,831 versus 734.
Full data
Spec sheet
| South Korea | Japan | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| GFP power index | 0.1642 ✓ | 0.1876 |
| GFP rank | 5 ✓ | 7 |
| Economy | ||
| Defense budget (USD) | $47,800,000,000 | $62,200,000,000 ✓ |
| GDP (USD) | $1,872,375,000,000 | $4,435,163,000,000 ✓ |
| Defense spend, % of GDP (%) | 2.6 % | 1.4 % |
| Population | 51,111,158 | 122,810,000 ✓ |
| Personnel | ||
| Active personnel | 450,000 ✓ | 251,500 |
| Reserve personnel | 3,100,000 ✓ | 56,000 |
| Paramilitary | 120,000 ✓ | 25,000 |
| Nuclear | ||
| Warheads, total | 0 | 0 |
| Warheads, deployed | 0 | 0 |
| Nuclear status | No | No |
| NPT status | signatory (non-nuclear-weapon state) | signatory (non-nuclear-weapon state) |
| Air power | ||
| Total aircraft | 1,540 ✓ | 1,429 |
| Fighters | 242 ✓ | 217 |
| Attack aircraft | 98 ✓ | 47 |
| Transport aircraft | 40 | 53 ✓ |
| Helicopters | 827 ✓ | 583 |
| Attack helicopters | 113 | 118 ✓ |
| Land power | ||
| Tanks | 1,831 ✓ | 734 |
| Armored fighting vehicles | 117,460 ✓ | 54,390 |
| Self-propelled artillery | 2,780 ✓ | 193 |
| Towed artillery | 5,800 ✓ | 480 |
| Rocket artillery (MLRS) | 525 ✓ | 99 |
| Naval power | ||
| Total naval assets | 215 ✓ | 158 |
| Aircraft carriers | 0 | 0 |
| Submarines | 22 | 23 ✓ |
| Destroyers | 14 | 41 ✓ |
| Frigates | 18 ✓ | 8 |
| Corvettes | 3 ✓ | 0 |
| Patrol vessels | 96 ✓ | 6 |
Frequently asked questions
Which has more nuclear warheads, South Korea or Japan? +
Neither South Korea nor Japan has a confirmed nuclear-warhead stockpile in public data, or the figures are not available.
Which has the bigger defense budget, South Korea or Japan? +
Japan has the bigger defense budget, at an estimated 62,200,000,000 USD.
Which has more tanks, South Korea or Japan? +
South Korea has more tanks, an estimated 1,831 main battle tanks.
Which has a bigger air force, South Korea or Japan? +
South Korea has more total aircraft, an estimated 1,540.
Which has a bigger navy, South Korea or Japan? +
South Korea has more naval assets, an estimated 215 vessels.
Which has the higher Global Firepower rank, South Korea or Japan? +
South Korea holds the stronger Global Firepower rank, at number 5 worldwide.
Where does this military comparison data come from? +
Sources: Global Firepower 2026, SIPRI 2025, FAS 2026, IMF. Figures are public estimates. Every figure is a public estimate, not classified data, and can vary between sources.
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Sources: Global Firepower 2026, SIPRI 2025, FAS 2026, IMF. Figures are public estimates.