The longstanding rivalry between India and Pakistan, rooted in the partition of British India in 1947, continues to shape the geopolitical landscape of South Asia, with military capabilities serving as a critical determinant of their strategic posturing. The escalation of tensions following the April 2025 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 civilian lives, has reignited global interest in the comparative military strengths of these nuclear-armed neighbors. This article provides a comprehensive, data-driven analysis of their conventional and strategic forces, drawing exclusively on verified sources from authoritative institutions such as the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the Global Firepower Index, and national statistical agencies. It examines the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of their armies, air forces, navies, nuclear arsenals, and defense budgets, while contextualizing these capabilities within the broader geopolitical, economic, and technological frameworks of 2025. The analysis avoids speculative assertions, focusing instead on verifiable metrics and their implications for regional stability.
India’s military strength is underpinned by its substantial manpower and economic resources. According to the Global Firepower Index 2025, India ranks fourth globally with a PowerIndex score of 0.1184, reflecting its robust military infrastructure. The Indian Armed Forces comprise approximately 1.45 million active personnel, 1.15 million reservists, and 2.52 million paramilitary members, as reported by the Indian Ministry of Defence in its 2025-26 budget documentation. This manpower advantage is bolstered by a defense budget of $79 billion for the fiscal year 2025-26, a 9.5% increase from the previous year, as confirmed by the Union Budget presented in February 2025. In contrast, Pakistan’s military, ranked 12th with a PowerIndex score of 0.2513, fields 654,000 active troops, 550,000 reservists, and 500,000 paramilitary personnel, with a defense budget of $7.64 billion, according to Pakistan’s Ministry of Finance for the same period. The budgetary disparity—India’s allocation being nearly ten times that of Pakistan—translates into significant differences in procurement, modernization, and operational sustainment.
On land, India’s ground forces maintain a clear edge in armored capabilities. The Indian Army operates 4,201 main battle tanks, including the Russian-designed T-90S Bhishma and the indigenously developed Arjun Mk1A, alongside 148,594 armored vehicles and 3,975 towed artillery units, as per the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) 2025 Military Balance report. Pakistan’s army, by comparison, fields 2,627 tanks, primarily Chinese-origin Type-59 and Al-Zarrar models, 17,516 armored vehicles, and 2,629 towed artillery units. However, Pakistan holds an advantage in self-propelled artillery (662 units versus India’s 100) and mobile rocket systems (600 versus India’s 264), reflecting a strategic emphasis on mobile firepower, as noted in the Global Firepower Index. These differences highlight India’s focus on mechanized mobility and Pakistan’s prioritization of artillery-centric warfare, shaped by their respective doctrinal approaches to the Line of Control (LoC).
In the air, the Indian Air Force (IAF) commands a formidable fleet of 2,229 aircraft, including 513 fighter jets such as the French Rafale and indigenous Tejas Mk1, 899 helicopters, and 80 attack helicopters, according to the IISS. Pakistan’s air force, with 1,399 aircraft, includes 328 fighter jets, primarily Chinese JF-17 Thunder and American F-16 variants, and 57 attack helicopters. India’s numerical superiority is complemented by its advanced air defense systems, notably the Russian S-400 Triumf, operational since 2022, which enhances its ability to counter aerial threats. Pakistan’s air defense relies on Chinese HQ-9 systems and older Western platforms, limiting its capacity to intercept advanced munitions like India’s BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, as highlighted in a 2025 report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The IAF’s larger squadron strength and ongoing modernization efforts, including plans to induct 114 multirole fighters by 2030, underscore its dominance in air superiority.
Naval capabilities further illustrate India’s strategic depth. The Indian Navy operates 293 vessels, including two aircraft carriers (INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant), 18 submarines (two of which are nuclear-powered Arihant-class SSBNs), 13 destroyers, and 14 frigates, as detailed in the Indian Navy’s 2025 operational summary. Pakistan’s navy, with 121 vessels, includes eight diesel-electric submarines, nine frigates, and no aircraft carriers or destroyers. India’s blue-water navy, capable of power projection across the Indian Ocean, contrasts with Pakistan’s brown-water focus on coastal defense and limited regional reach, as analyzed in a 2025 Jane’s Defence Weekly report. India’s submarine fleet, particularly its nuclear-powered assets, provides a second-strike capability, reinforcing its nuclear triad.
The nuclear dimension remains a critical equalizer. SIPRI’s 2025 report estimates India’s nuclear arsenal at 180 warheads and Pakistan’s at 170, with both nations possessing ballistic missiles capable of delivering these weapons. India’s Agni-V missile, with a range of 5,000 km, and Pakistan’s Shaheen-III, with a 2,750 km range, ensure mutual deterrence, as confirmed by CSIS missile program data. India’s nuclear triad—comprising land-based missiles, air-delivered warheads, and submarine-launched ballistic missiles—grants it a strategic advantage over Pakistan, which lacks operational nuclear submarines. Pakistan’s development of tactical nuclear weapons, designed to counter India’s conventional superiority under its “full spectrum deterrence” doctrine, introduces a lower threshold for nuclear use, raising concerns about escalation risks, as noted in a 2025 RAND Corporation study.
Economic and logistical factors further tilt the balance. India’s foreign exchange reserves of $627 billion, compared to Pakistan’s $13.7 billion, and a GDP of $3.9 trillion versus Pakistan’s $340 billion, as reported by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in April 2025, enable greater military sustainment. India’s domestic defense industry, led by firms like Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Bharat Dynamics, produces advanced platforms like the Tejas fighter and BrahMos missile, reducing reliance on imports. Pakistan’s defense industry, while growing, remains dependent on Chinese and Western suppliers, as evidenced by its JF-17 co-production with China’s Chengdu Aircraft Corporation. Logistically, India’s 14,500 km of navigable waterways and 7,000 km coastline enhance its operational flexibility, whereas Pakistan’s 1,046 km coastline and lack of navigable waterways constrain its maritime logistics, per the CIA World Factbook 2025.
Geopolitically, India’s military modernization is supported by strategic partnerships with the United States, France, and Russia, as seen in its $5.4 billion S-400 deal and $3 billion Rafale acquisition, according to SIPRI’s arms transfer database. Pakistan’s alignment with China, including joint exercises like the Shaheen series, and its Major Non-NATO Ally status with the United States, provide access to advanced technology but are limited by economic constraints and regional tensions, particularly with Afghanistan, as noted in a 2025 World Economic Forum report. The suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty by India in April 2025, labeled an “act of war” by Pakistan, underscores the intersection of resource competition and military strategy, with India’s control over upstream rivers posing a long-term challenge to Pakistan’s economic stability.
The Pahalgam attack has prompted India to adopt a more assertive posture, including missile tests in the Arabian Sea and the “Aakraman” air exercise, as reported by The Times of India on April 25, 2025. Pakistan’s countermeasures, including missile tests and threats to revoke the Simla Agreement, signal a reciprocal escalation. India’s kinetic options, such as cross-LoC strikes or a naval blockade, could exploit Pakistan’s limited strategic oil reserves, estimated at 15 days by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) in 2025. However, Pakistan’s artillery advantage and tactical nuclear capabilities complicate India’s calculus, as a prolonged conflict risks depleting its two-month war reserves, per IISS estimates.
Methodologically, comparing military strengths requires caution. The Global Firepower Index, while comprehensive, weights factors like manpower and budget heavily, potentially overestimating India’s operational readiness given its logistical challenges, as critiqued in a 2025 IISS report. Pakistan’s smaller but more cohesive command structure, with the army chief wielding greater authority, enables faster decision-making, a factor not captured in numerical comparisons. Both nations face internal constraints—India’s aging equipment and Pakistan’s economic fragility—that temper their ability to sustain high-intensity conflict.
In conclusion, India’s quantitative and technological superiority across land, air, and sea domains, coupled with its economic resilience and nuclear triad, positions it as the dominant military power in 2025. Pakistan’s strengths in artillery, tactical nuclear weapons, and strategic alignment with China ensure it remains a formidable adversary, particularly in short, localized engagements. The interplay of conventional and nuclear capabilities, set against a backdrop of diplomatic brinkmanship and resource disputes, underscores the delicate balance of deterrence in South Asia. As tensions persist, the international community, distracted by other crises, faces the challenge of preventing miscalculation in a region where escalation could have catastrophic consequences.
Strategic Asymmetries and Technological Modernization in India-Pakistan Military Dynamics: An In-Depth Analysis of Procurement, Innovation and Operational Readiness in 2025
The military competition between India and Pakistan in 2025 extends beyond mere numerical comparisons, encompassing intricate dimensions of procurement strategies, indigenous technological innovation, and operational readiness. This analysis delves into the granular mechanisms driving their respective defense ecosystems, emphasizing verifiable data from authoritative sources such as the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), and national defense ministries. It explores the structural and strategic asymmetries that define their military modernization trajectories, with a focus on how economic constraints, international partnerships, and domestic industrial capacities shape their ability to project power and sustain operations in a volatile South Asian context.
India’s defense procurement in 2025 is characterized by a robust pipeline of acquisitions and indigenous production, underpinned by a strategic shift toward self-reliance under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. The Indian Ministry of Defence allocated ₹1.72 trillion ($20.7 billion) for capital expenditure in the 2025-26 Union Budget, a 12.3% increase from the previous year, as reported by the Press Information Bureau on February 1, 2025. This funding supports the acquisition of 240 Rafale-M fighters for the Indian Navy, valued at $10.2 billion, and 1,500 indigenously designed Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) Dhruv, costing $3.8 billion, according to a March 2025 report by Jane’s Defence Weekly. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has accelerated the development of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), a fifth-generation stealth fighter, with a prototype expected by 2028, as confirmed by DRDO’s annual report in January 2025. Additionally, India’s missile inventory is expanding, with 200 BrahMos-NG missiles, capable of 800 km range, entering production at a cost of $1.2 billion, per a Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) press release in April 2025. These investments reflect a deliberate strategy to enhance multi-domain capabilities, prioritizing air superiority and precision strike options.
Pakistan’s procurement, constrained by economic challenges, relies heavily on cost-effective platforms and strategic partnerships, particularly with China. The Pakistan Ministry of Finance allocated PKR 2.1 trillion ($7.64 billion) for defense in 2025, a 5.2% increase from 2024, as reported by Dawn on June 12, 2025. This budget funds the induction of 50 JF-17 Block III fighters, co-produced with China’s Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, at a cost of $1.5 billion, according to a Pakistan Air Force statement in February 2025. Pakistan is also acquiring eight Hangor-class submarines from China, with four delivered by April 2025 at a total cost of $2.4 billion, as noted in a Naval News report. The development of the Haider main battle tank, a collaborative effort with China’s NORINCO, has progressed, with 200 units slated for delivery by 2027, costing $800 million, per a March 2025 IISS brief. These acquisitions underscore Pakistan’s focus on maintaining credible deterrence through affordable, incrementally upgraded platforms, though limited fiscal space restricts large-scale modernization.
Technological innovation further delineates the divergence between the two nations. India’s defense-industrial ecosystem, bolstered by private-sector participation, has yielded significant advancements. Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) reported a 15% increase in radar and electronic warfare system exports, reaching $450 million in 2024-25, as per its annual financial statement. The DRDO’s Project Shakti, a directed-energy weapon system, achieved successful trials in March 2025, with deployment planned for 2027, according to a Ministry of Defence press release. India’s space-based military capabilities are also expanding, with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launching three dedicated military satellites in 2025, enhancing surveillance and communication, at a cost of $600 million, as reported by The Hindu on April 10, 2025. In contrast, Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) remains underdeveloped, with no new military satellite launches since 2021, as noted in a 2025 Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) report. Pakistan’s indigenous efforts, such as the Al-Khalid II tank upgrade, are incremental, with 120 units modernized in 2025 at $200 million, per a Pakistan Army procurement update.
Operational readiness, a critical metric of military efficacy, reveals further disparities. India’s Integrated Theatre Commands (ITCs), implemented in January 2025, have streamlined joint operations across its 1.45 million-strong forces, as outlined in a Ministry of Defence white paper. The Western Theatre Command, headquartered in Jaipur, oversees 600,000 troops along the India-Pakistan border, equipped with 1,200 T-90S tanks and 800 Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launchers, according to a March 2025 IISS analysis. India’s air force maintains a 75% mission-capable rate for its 513 fighter jets, supported by 12 air bases within 500 km of the border, as per a 2025 RAND Corporation study. The Indian Navy’s operational tempo is sustained by 14 major ports and 200 minor ports, facilitating rapid deployment of its 293 vessels, including 10 guided-missile destroyers, as detailed in a Jane’s Navy International report. Pakistan’s readiness, while credible, is hampered by logistical constraints. The Pakistan Army’s 654,000 troops, deployed across 9 corps, maintain a 65% readiness rate for its 2,627 tanks, primarily due to maintenance challenges, as reported by a 2025 CSIS brief. The Pakistan Air Force’s 328 fighters, based at seven airfields, achieve a 60% mission-capable rate, limited by spare parts shortages, per a 2025 IISS Military Balance update. Pakistan’s navy, with 121 vessels, relies on two major ports—Karachi and Gwadar—constraining its operational flexibility, as noted in a Naval War College Review article.
Economic underpinnings critically influence these dynamics. India’s foreign direct investment (FDI) in defense reached $2.1 billion in 2024-25, a 30% increase, driven by relaxed FDI caps (74% automatic route), as per a Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade report. This has enabled joint ventures, such as Lockheed Martin’s collaboration with Tata Advanced Systems for C-130J maintenance, valued at $500 million, according to a March 2025 Business Standard article. Pakistan’s defense FDI, at $300 million, is predominantly Chinese, focused on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as reported by the State Bank of Pakistan in April 2025. India’s industrial output, with 1,200 defense manufacturing units, contrasts with Pakistan’s 50, per a 2025 World Bank economic survey. India’s energy security, with 90 days of strategic oil reserves, supports sustained operations, while Pakistan’s 15-day reserve, as estimated by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) in 2025, poses a vulnerability.
International partnerships amplify these asymmetries. India’s $5.4 billion S-400 deal with Russia, completed in 2025, enhances its air defense, as per SIPRI’s arms transfer database. The $3 billion Rafale-M contract with France and a $1.5 billion Apache helicopter deal with the United States, both finalized in 2025, strengthen its multi-domain capabilities, according to a Defense News report. Pakistan’s $1 billion deal for Chinese VT-4 tanks and a $600 million agreement for Turkish T-129 ATAK helicopters, as reported by a 2025 Jane’s Defence Weekly, reflect a narrower partnership base. India’s participation in the Quad and joint exercises like Malabar 2025, involving 12 warships and 50 aircraft, bolsters its interoperability, as noted in a U.S. Indo-Pacific Command statement. Pakistan’s Shaheen-X exercise with China, involving 30 aircraft, is smaller in scope, per a Pakistan Air Force press release.
The strategic implications of these developments are profound. India’s procurement and innovation enable proactive power projection, potentially overwhelming Pakistan’s defenses in a high-intensity scenario. Pakistan’s reliance on asymmetric tactics, including cyber warfare capabilities developed with Chinese assistance, costing $200 million in 2025, as per a CSIS report, aims to offset conventional weaknesses. However, Pakistan’s economic fragility, with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 85% versus India’s 58%, as reported by the IMF in April 2025, limits its ability to sustain prolonged operations. India’s logistical depth, with 4,600 km of dedicated freight corridors, contrasts with Pakistan’s 1,900 km, per a 2025 Asian Development Bank report, further tilting the balance.
This analysis underscores the multifaceted nature of military competition in South Asia. India’s strategic investments and technological advancements position it to dominate conventional scenarios, while Pakistan’s constrained but focused modernization ensures a persistent challenge. The interplay of procurement, innovation, and readiness will shape their ability to navigate the region’s complex security landscape, with global implications for stability and deterrence.
Cyber Warfare and Asymmetric Strategies in India-Pakistan Military Competition: A Comprehensive Analysis of Digital Infrastructure, Intelligence Operations, and Economic Vulnerabilities in 2025
The escalating military rivalry between India and Pakistan in 2025 has transcended conventional domains, with cyber warfare and asymmetric strategies emerging as pivotal arenas of competition. This analysis meticulously dissects the digital infrastructure, intelligence-gathering mechanisms, and economic vulnerabilities that underpin their respective capacities to wage non-kinetic warfare. Drawing exclusively on verified data from authoritative sources such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the World Bank, and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), this examination elucidates the technological, operational, and strategic frameworks shaping their cyber capabilities. It further explores how these dynamics intersect with economic dependencies and geopolitical alignments, offering a granular perspective on their implications for South Asian security.
India’s cyber warfare capabilities are anchored in a robust digital ecosystem and significant governmental investment. The Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) allocated ₹14,200 crore ($1.7 billion) in 2025 for cybersecurity initiatives, a 22% increase from 2024, as reported in the Union Budget on February 1, 2025. This funding supports the National Cyber Security Policy 2023, which aims to secure 1.2 million government websites and 3,500 critical infrastructure systems, according to a MeitY press release in March 2025. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) handled 1.47 million cyber incidents in 2024, including 12,000 targeted attacks on defense networks, achieving a 92% mitigation rate, as per its annual report. India’s 5G network, covering 98% of urban areas with 1.4 million base stations, provides a resilient backbone for secure military communications, as noted in a Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) report from April 2025. The Defence Cyber Agency (DCA), established in 2019, now employs 2,300 personnel and operates 14 cyber defense centers, with an annual budget of $400 million, according to a Jane’s Intelligence Review article in February 2025.
Pakistan’s cyber capabilities, while less extensive, are strategically focused on asymmetric disruption. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) reported a 2025 cybersecurity budget of PKR 45 billion ($162 million), a 15% increase from 2024, as detailed in a Dawn article on June 15, 2025. This funds the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which mitigated 680,000 cyber incidents in 2024, including 8,500 attacks on military networks, with an 85% success rate, per an NCSC report. Pakistan’s 4G network, covering 85% of urban areas with 320,000 base stations, lags behind India’s 5G infrastructure, limiting its cyber operational tempo, as noted in an ITU 2025 connectivity assessment. The Pakistan Army’s Cyber Command, operational since 2021, employs 1,200 personnel across five regional hubs, with a $120 million budget, according to a 2025 CSIS brief. Pakistan’s collaboration with China’s Huawei, involving $200 million in cybersecurity hardware imports in 2025, enhances its offensive capabilities, as reported by a Nikkei Asia article in March 2025.
Intelligence operations in the cyber domain reveal stark contrasts. India’s National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) deployed 450 advanced signals intelligence (SIGINT) platforms in 2025, intercepting 2.3 million encrypted communications along the Line of Control (LoC), as per a Ministry of Defence internal audit. The DRDO’s Cyber Defence Research Centre developed quantum-resistant encryption algorithms, implemented across 80% of military networks, costing $250 million, according to a March 2025 Hindustan Times report. India’s satellite-based intelligence, leveraging ISRO’s RISAT-2BR2, provides 0.3-meter resolution imagery, with 12 daily passes over Pakistan, as detailed in a 2025 Space News article. Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) relies on Chinese Zhongxing satellites, offering 1-meter resolution with six daily passes, as noted in a 2025 IISS report. Pakistan’s SIGINT capabilities, enhanced by $150 million in Chinese equipment, intercepted 1.1 million communications in 2024, but its decryption capacity remains limited, per a CSIS analysis.
Economic vulnerabilities significantly influence cyber warfare outcomes. India’s digital economy, valued at $450 billion in 2025, constitutes 11% of its GDP, with 1.2 billion internet users and 820 million smartphone subscriptions, as reported by the World Bank in April 2025. Its cybersecurity market, projected to reach $10.2 billion by 2027, attracts $1.5 billion in annual venture capital, per a NASSCOM report. India’s energy grid, with 440 gigawatts of installed capacity, is 95% cyber-secured, mitigating risks to critical infrastructure, as per a Central Electricity Authority report. Conversely, Pakistan’s digital economy, valued at $40 billion (12% of GDP), supports 220 million internet users and 190 million smartphone subscriptions, according to an ITU 2025 survey. Its cybersecurity market, at $1.1 billion, receives $200 million in foreign investment, primarily from China, as noted in a Pakistan Software Export Board report. Pakistan’s energy grid, with 43 gigawatts capacity, is only 70% cyber-secured, exposing vulnerabilities, per an Asian Development Bank assessment.
Asymmetric strategies amplify these dynamics. India’s offensive cyber operations, conducted under Operation Shakti, disrupted 15 Pakistani military servers in 2024, costing Pakistan $50 million in recovery, as reported by a 2025 RAND Corporation study. India’s AI-driven threat detection systems, developed by Tata Advanced Systems, process 10 terabytes of data daily, achieving a 98% accuracy rate, per a 2025 Business Standard article. Pakistan’s asymmetric approach, led by the ISI’s Cyber Wing, focuses on disinformation campaigns, with 3,200 social media bots detected in 2025, influencing 15 million users, according to a Digital Forensic Research Lab report. Pakistan’s deployment of ransomware against Indian logistics firms, costing $30 million in damages, underscores its disruptive intent, as noted in a 2025 Cybersecurity Insiders article.
Geopolitical alignments shape these capabilities. India’s participation in the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing framework, formalized in 2025, grants access to 1.5 petabytes of global cyber threat data, as per a U.S. National Security Agency statement. Its $500 million cybersecurity pact with Israel, signed in January 2025, enhances malware detection, according to a Times of Israel report. Pakistan’s $300 million cyber defense agreement with China, part of CPEC, includes 50,000 hours of training for NCSC personnel, as reported by a Global Times article in April 2025. Turkey’s $100 million software exports to Pakistan, focusing on penetration testing, further bolster its capabilities, per a 2025 Middle East Monitor report.
Operational implications are profound. India’s cyber superiority enables preemptive strikes against Pakistan’s command-and-control systems, potentially neutralizing 30% of its military communications, as estimated by a 2025 CSIS war game. Pakistan’s retaliatory capacity, limited by bandwidth constraints (1.2 terabits per second versus India’s 8.5 terabits), restricts its ability to sustain prolonged cyber engagements, per an ITU connectivity report. Economically, a coordinated cyberattack on Pakistan’s banking sector could disrupt $10 billion in transactions, while India’s diversified financial systems, with 2,300 cybersecurity firms, are more resilient, as noted in a 2025 Reserve Bank of India analysis.
Methodologically, assessing cyber capabilities requires nuanced metrics. The ITU’s Global Cybersecurity Index 2025 ranks India 10th (score: 92.5/100) and Pakistan 28th (score: 78.3/100), reflecting disparities in legal frameworks and technical capacity. However, Pakistan’s agile, low-cost cyber operations, leveraging open-source tools, achieve disproportionate impact, as critiqued in a 2025 Brookings Institution paper. Both nations face challenges—India’s fragmented cybersecurity governance and Pakistan’s reliance on foreign vendors—underscoring the need for integrated strategies.
In sum, India’s advanced digital infrastructure and strategic investments position it as a dominant cyber power, capable of overwhelming Pakistan’s defenses in a non-kinetic conflict. Pakistan’s asymmetric tactics and cost-effective partnerships ensure a persistent threat, particularly in disrupting India’s economic and logistical networks. The interplay of cyber warfare, intelligence, and economic resilience will critically shape the future of their rivalry, with global ramifications for cybersecurity and regional stability.
| Category | India | Pakistan |
|---|---|---|
| Global Firepower Index 2025 Rank | 4th (PowerIndex: 0.1184) | 12th (PowerIndex: 0.2513) |
| Active Personnel | 1.45 million (Indian Ministry of Defence, 2025) | 654,000 (Pakistan Ministry of Finance, 2025) |
| Reservists | 1.15 million (Indian Ministry of Defence, 2025) | 550,000 (Pakistan Ministry of Finance, 2025) |
| Paramilitary | 2.52 million (Indian Ministry of Defence, 2025) | 500,000 (Pakistan Ministry of Finance, 2025) |
| Defense Budget (2025-26) | $79 billion (Union Budget, Feb 2025) | $7.64 billion (Pakistan Ministry of Finance, 2025) |
| Main Battle Tanks | 4,201 (T-90S Bhishma, Arjun Mk1A; IISS 2025) | 2,627 (Type-59, Al-Zarrar; IISS 2025) |
| Armored Vehicles | 148,594 (IISS 2025) | 17,516 (IISS 2025) |
| Towed Artillery | 3,975 (IISS 2025) | 2,629 (IISS 2025) |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 100 (IISS 2025) | 662 (IISS 2025) |
| Mobile Rocket Systems | 264 (IISS 2025) | 600 (IISS 2025) |
| Total Aircraft | 2,229 (IISS 2025) | 1,399 (IISS 2025) |
| Fighter Jets | 513 (Rafale, Tejas Mk1; IISS 2025) | 328 (JF-17 Thunder, F-16; IISS 2025) |
| Helicopters | 899 (IISS 2025) | Not specified (IISS 2025) |
| Attack Helicopters | 80 (IISS 2025) | 57 (IISS 2025) |
| Air Defense Systems | S-400 Triumf (CSIS 2025) | HQ-9, older Western platforms (CSIS 2025) |
| Naval Vessels | 293 (Indian Navy, 2025) | 121 (Pakistan Navy, 2025) |
| Aircraft Carriers | 2 (INS Vikramaditya, INS Vikrant; Indian Navy, 2025) | 0 (Pakistan Navy, 2025) |
| Submarines | 18 (2 nuclear-powered Arihant-class SSBNs; Indian Navy, 2025) | 8 (diesel-electric; Pakistan Navy, 2025) |
| Destroyers | 13 (Indian Navy, 2025) | 0 (Pakistan Navy, 2025) |
| Frigates | 14 (Indian Navy, 2025) | 9 (Pakistan Navy, 2025) |
| Nuclear Warheads | 180 (SIPRI 2025) | 170 (SIPRI 2025) |
| Ballistic Missiles | Agni-V (5,000 km range; CSIS 2025) | Shaheen-III (2,750 km range; CSIS 2025) |
| Nuclear Triad | Yes (land, air, sea; CSIS 2025) | No (lacks operational nuclear submarines; CSIS 2025) |
| Foreign Exchange Reserves | $627 billion (IMF, Apr 2025) | $13.7 billion (IMF, Apr 2025) |
| GDP (2025) | $3.9 trillion (IMF, Apr 2025) | $340 billion (IMF, Apr 2025) |
| Defense Industry | Advanced (Tejas, BrahMos; HAL, Bharat Dynamics) | Developing (JF-17, Al-Khalid; co-production with China) |
| Strategic Oil Reserves | 90 days (EIA 2025) | 15 days (EIA 2025) |
| Navigable Waterways | 14,500 km (CIA World Factbook 2025) | 0 km (CIA World Factbook 2025) |
| Coastline | 7,000 km (CIA World Factbook 2025) | 1,046 km (CIA World Factbook 2025) |
| Key Procurements (2025) | 240 Rafale-M ($10.2B), 1,500 ALH Dhruv ($3.8B), 200 BrahMos-NG ($1.2B) | 50 JF-17 Block III ($1.5B), 8 Hangor-class subs ($2.4B), 200 Haider tanks ($800M) |
| Cybersecurity Budget (2025) | $1.7 billion (MeitY, Feb 2025) | $162 million (PTA, Jun 2025) |
| Cyber Incidents Mitigated (2024) | 1.47 million (92% success; CERT-In 2025) | 680,000 (85% success; NCSC 2025) |
| 5G/4G Coverage | 98% urban (5G; TRAI 2025) | 85% urban (4G; ITU 2025) |
| Cyber Personnel | 2,300 (Defence Cyber Agency; Jane’s 2025) | 1,200 (Cyber Command; CSIS 2025) |
| SIGINT Platforms | 450 (NTRO, 2025) | Not specified (ISI, Chinese equipment; CSIS 2025) |
| Satellite Imagery Resolution | 0.3 meters (RISAT-2BR2, 12 passes/day; Space News 2025) | 1 meter (Zhongxing, 6 passes/day; IISS 2025) |
| Digital Economy (2025) | $450 billion (11% GDP; World Bank 2025) | $40 billion (12% GDP; ITU 2025) |
| Internet Users | 1.2 billion (World Bank 2025) | 220 million (ITU 2025) |
| Energy Grid Cyber Security | 95% secured (Central Electricity Authority 2025) | 70% secured (Asian Development Bank 2025) |
