HEAD TO HEAD
Malaysia vs Philippines
Verdict
Philippines holds a 58–42 advantage over Malaysia on the Relative Advantage Index.
The margin is driven by military spending (56% of the combined total, $6.4bn) and economic size (GDP) (52% of the combined total, $462bn).
1 factor — nuclear warheads — could not be scored because the figure is unpublished for at least one side.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 | Malaysia | Share | Philippines | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Military spending SIPRI Milex | $4.9bn | 44%56% | $6.4bn | 33% |
Economic size (GDP) World Bank WDI | $422bn | 48%52% | $462bn | 27% |
Active personnel COW NMC | 113.0k | 44%56% | 145.0k | 20% |
Logistics & power projection OurAirports | 60 | 32%68% | 127 | 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.
