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Army comparison: Flag of China China vs Flag of South Korea South Korea

China's army fields 27,250 active vehicles — 2.1:1 South Korea's 13,232. Additionally, China has 0 and South Korea has 3,400 vehicles in storage.

ARMS (Armour and Manpower Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of China ChinaWorld #2 94.8
ARMS Index / 100

China leads on 6 of 8 categories

Flag of South Korea South KoreaWorld #4 61.0
  • 4,770 Main battle tanksweight ×10 · era 1,814
  • 2,670 Rocket artilleryweight ×8 · era 465
  • 4,510 Self-propelled artilleryweight ×6 · era 2,480
  • 8,800 Infantry fighting vehiclesweight ×4 · era 536
  • 900 Towed artilleryweight ×3 · era 2,800+3,000 stored
  • 3,600 Armoured personnel carriersweight ×2 · era 3,127+400 stored
  • 2,000 Light armoured vehiclesweight ×2 · era 10
  • 0 Protected mobility vehiclesweight ×0.5 · era 2,000
China South Korea Bars: weighted contribution to the ARMS Index (vehicles × category weight × era, active + 0.3 × stored; manpower and the rotary, armament and availability multipliers apply on top) · figures: active vehicles at each side's latest inventory year · Methodology
Key figures as of 2026
China South Korea Ratio
Total vehicles 27,250 13,232 🇨🇳 2.1×
In storage 0 3,400 🇰🇷
On order 0 870 🇰🇷
Main battle tanks 4,770 1,814 🇨🇳 2.6×
Artillery pieces 8,080 5,745 🇨🇳 1.4×
Armoured fighting vehicles 14,400 5,673 🇨🇳 2.5×
Active military personnel (all branches) 2,035,000 500,000 🇨🇳 4.1×
Reserve military personnel (all branches) 510,000 3,100,000 🇰🇷 6.1×
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Infantry fighting vehicles 8,800 536 🇨🇳 16×
Armoured personnel carriers 3,600 3,127 🇨🇳 1.2×
Self-propelled artillery 4,510 2,480 🇨🇳 1.8×
Towed artillery 900 2,800 🇰🇷 3.1×
Rocket artillery 2,670 465 🇨🇳 5.7×
Backbone vehicles most numerous in service
🇨🇳 ChinaType 96 ×2,500ZBL-08 ×3,250ZSD-89 ×1,750
🇰🇷 South KoreaK1A1 Rokit ×1,511K21 ×466K9 Thunder ×1,240
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more armored vehicles, China or South Korea?
China has a larger ground force with 27,250 vehicles compared to South Korea's 13,232 vehicles.
Which country has more tanks, China or South Korea?
China operates more main battle tanks with 4,770 compared to South Korea's 1,814.
Which army has more infantry fighting vehicles, China or South Korea?
China has 8,800 infantry fighting vehicles compared to South Korea's 536.
Which country has more armored personnel carriers, China or South Korea?
China operates 3,600 APCs compared to South Korea's 3,127.
Which country has more artillery systems, China or South Korea?
China fields 8,080 artillery systems (self-propelled, towed, and MLRS) compared to South Korea's 5,745.
How do the China and South Korea armies compare in size?
China's army is 2.1 times larger than South Korea's in terms of total vehicles (27,250 vs 13,232).