Global Firepower ranks India’s military as fourth strongest, Pakistan on 13th

In terms of military prowess, India has ranked 4^th out of 133 countries on the Global Firepower (GFP) list 2017.

Details about Global Firepower List 2017:

Ranking in Global Firepower List is based on Country’s Power Index Score, which is arrived at by assessing the countries on 50 parameters.

• Available manpower is the most important parameter and thus countries with large population tend to rank higher.
• Geographical factors, natural resources, logistical efficiency and local industry also affect the final ranking.
• Although nuclear stockpiles are not taken into consideration, recognised/suspected nuclear weapons possession fetches a bonus.
• More importantly, ranking does not solely rely on number of weapons available, rather it focuses on weapons diversification.
• The ranking formula does not penalise landlocked nations for lack of navy. Besides, it allows smaller, though more technologically-advanced, nations to compete with larger, lesser-developed ones.

Global Firepower List 2017 – Highlights:

India at 4^th rank, trails behind only US, Russia and China.

• India and China’s high rank can be largely attributed to a sizeable number of armed personnel, which is the most important ranking parameter.
• With 4207250 total armed personnel, India is ahead of China, which has 3712500 total armed personnel. However, China has 2260000 active troops as compared to India’s 1362500.
• Besides, in terms of defence budget allocation, China is much ahead of India. China’s defence budget allocation is over three times higher as compared to India.
• When compared with Pakistan (13^th Rank), India is superior on all parameters except the number of attack helicopters, self-propelled artillery and waterway coverage.

Global Firepower List 2017: