Pahalgam terror attack: With Kashmir being the primary flashpoint, India and Pakistan have witnessed full-scale wars, proxy conflicts, and military standoffs that have dramatically influenced the South Asian geopolitical environment. The Pahalgam Terror Attack in April 2025, which killed at least 26 tourists, has further worsened relations, leading to major diplomatic and strategic fallout.
With a defence budget of USD 86 billion, India is the fifth-largest military spender globally.
India is one of the top military spenders globally, spending almost nine times more than its nuclear-armed neighbour, Pakistan. According to a report, India spent $86 billion in 2024, making it the fifth-largest military spender after the US, China, Russia and Germany.
Pakistan spent $10bn that year, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
The top five military spenders — the United States, China, Russia, Germany and India — accounted for 60% of the global total, with combined spending of $1,635 billion, as per the Swedish think-tank report.
The report comes at a time when the strained diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan reached a new low in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 tourists dead. Apart from Pakistan, India was also engaged in a border standoff with China in eastern Ladakh.
India 5th Largest Military Spender
With a defence budget of $86 billion, India is the fifth-largest military spender globally. But it also has to contend with China, another nuclear-armed neighbour, which spends almost four times more.
As per the SIPRI data, India earmarked just around 22% of the Rs 6.8 lakh crore ($80 billion) annual defence budget for 2025-26 for capital procurements of new weapon systems and platforms. The rest goes for salaries and day-to-day operational costs for the 1.4-million-strong armed forces as well as the huge pension bill for over 3.4 million ex-servicemen and defence civilians.
“India… increased its spending… by 42% from 2015,” said the report titled “Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024”.
India spends just under 2% of its GDP on defence when at least 2.5% is needed to effectively deal with the collusive threat from China and Pakistan. Despite government’s Make-in-India push, India remains the second largest arms importer in the world.
As per the Global Firepower Index, India ranks fourth in terms of world’s most powerful armies. Pakistan is at 12 position.
Aircraft Fleet Strength
With 2,229 total military planes in service, India ranks in the top 5 countries with the highest combat aircraft fleet strength, with US topping the list. Meanwhile, Pakistan is at number seven on the list with 1,399 planes.
As per the report, India has 513 fighter aircraft and six aerial tankers. This dwarfs Pakistan’s aircraft fleet strength of 328 fighter jets.
Naval Power
India also enjoys a considerable advantage over Pakistan in Naval power. With a fleet strength of 293, Indian Navy ranks number six while Pakistan is positioned at 27 with a naval strength of 121. India also has two aircraft carriers while Pakistan is yet to open its account.
Similarly, Pakistan does not own any destroyers while India has 13.
India also enjoys a significant submarine strength. The Indian Navy operates seventeen diesel-powered attack submarines and one nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), the INS Arihant. On the other hand, Pakistan operates two Hashmat-class submarines. Their design is based on the French Agosta-class submarines.
