HEAD TO HEAD
Pakistan vs South Korea
Verdict
South Korea holds a 68–32 advantage over Pakistan on the Relative Advantage Index, a clear margin.
The margin is driven by military spending (80% of the combined total, $47.8bn) and economic size (GDP) (83% of the combined total, $1.9tn). Pakistan leads on active personnel and logistics & power projection.
1 factor — nuclear warheads — could not be scored because the figure is unpublished for at least one side.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 | Pakistan | Share | South Korea | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Military spending SIPRI Milex | $11.9bn | 20%80% | $47.8bn | 33% |
Economic size (GDP) World Bank WDI | $372bn | 17%83% | $1.9tn | 27% |
Active personnel COW NMC | 652.0k | 54%46% | 555.0k | 20% |
Logistics & power projection OurAirports | 41 | 52%48% | 38 | 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.
