CONFLICTIQ
HEAD TO HEAD

China vs Japan

China
80%
RAI
Japan
20%

Verdict

China holds a 80–20 advantage over Japan on the Relative Advantage Index, a decisive margin.

The margin is driven by military spending (84% of the combined total, $336bn) and economic size (GDP) (82% 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1 factor — nuclear warheads — could not be scored because the figure is unpublished for at least one side.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

FactorChinaShareJapanWeight
Military spending
SIPRI Milex
$336bn
84%16%
$62.2bn33%
Economic size (GDP)
World Bank WDI
$18.7tn
82%18%
$4.0tn27%
Active personnel
COW NMC
2.0m
89%11%
247.0k20%
Logistics & power projection
OurAirports
402
60%40%
27020%

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 2026-08-04.

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Neighbour rivalries (473)

Bordering states — the comparisons people actually search for.

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NigeriaEquatorial Guinea v Sao Tome and PrincipeEritrea v EthiopiaEritrea v Saudi ArabiaEritrea v SudanEritrea v YemenEstonia v FinlandEstonia v GermanyEstonia v LatviaEstonia v PolandEstonia v SwedenEswatini v MozambiqueEswatini v South AfricaEthiopia v KenyaEthiopia v SomaliaEthiopia v South SudanEthiopia v SudanEthiopia v YemenFiji v TongaFiji v TuvaluFinland v GermanyFinland v LatviaFinland v LithuaniaFinland v NorwayFinland v SwedenFrance v IrelandFrance v LuxembourgFrance v MonacoFrance v NetherlandsFrance v SwitzerlandFrance v TunisiaFrance v VaticanGabon v NigeriaGabon v Sao Tome and PrincipeGambia v SenegalGeorgia v RussiaGeorgia v TürkiyeGeorgia v UkraineGermany v HungaryGermany v LatviaGermany v LithuaniaGermany v LuxembourgGermany v NetherlandsGermany v NorwayGermany v SerbiaGermany v SwedenGermany v SwitzerlandGhana v NigeriaGhana v TogoGreece v LibyaGreece v MaltaGreece v North MacedoniaGrenada v GuyanaGrenada v St. Kitts and NevisGrenada v St. Vincent and the 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Sts. v PalauMicronesia, Fed. Sts. v Papua New GuineaMoldova v RomaniaMoldova v UkraineMonaco v SpainMongolia v RussiaMontenegro v SerbiaMorocco v PortugalMorocco v SpainMozambique v SeychellesMozambique v South AfricaMozambique v TanzaniaMozambique v ZambiaMozambique v ZimbabweNamibia v South AfricaNamibia v ZambiaNetherlands v NorwayNetherlands v United KingdomNicaragua v PanamaNigeria v Sao Tome and PrincipeNigeria v TogoNorth Macedonia v SerbiaNorway v United KingdomOman v PakistanOman v QatarOman v SomaliaOman v United Arab EmiratesOman v YemenPalau v PhilippinesPapua New Guinea v Solomon IslandsPhilippines v TaiwanPoland v RomaniaPoland v SlovakiaPortugal v SpainQatar v United Arab EmiratesRomania v RussiaRussia v TurkmenistanRwanda v TanzaniaRwanda v UgandaSamoa v TongaSaudi Arabia v United Arab EmiratesSaudi Arabia v YemenSeychelles v TanzaniaSlovakia v UkraineSolomon Islands v VanuatuSomalia v TanzaniaSouth Africa v ZimbabweSouth Sudan v SudanSouth Sudan v UgandaSpain v TunisiaSt. Kitts and Nevis v St. LuciaSt. Lucia v Trinidad and TobagoSudan v UgandaSuriname v Trinidad and TobagoSweden v United KingdomTajikistan v UzbekistanTürkiye v VaticanTurkmenistan v UzbekistanZambia v Zimbabwe