HEAD TO HEAD
China vs Ukraine
Verdict
China holds a 85–15 advantage over Ukraine on the Relative Advantage Index, a decisive margin.
The margin is driven by military spending (80% of the combined total, $336bn) and economic size (GDP) (99% of the combined total, $18.7tn).
1 factor — nuclear warheads — could not be scored because the figure is unpublished for at least one side. Those factors are excluded and the remaining weights renormalised, never substituted.
Factor by factor
| Factor | China | Share | Ukraine | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Military spending SIPRI Milex | $336bn | 80%20% | $84.1bn | 33% |
Economic size (GDP) World Bank WDI | $18.7tn | 99%1% | $191bn | 27% |
Active personnel COW NMC | 2.0m | 75%25% | 688.0k | 20% |
Logistics & power projection OurAirports | 402 | 87%13% | 58 | 20% |
Shares are each side's portion of the combined total for that factor. Weights are renormalised across the factors both sides publish — see the methodology. Data read 2026-10-22.
