Loading the evidence…
Preparing your view.
Preparing your view.
NATIONAL FORCES · COMPARISON
North Korea vs Taiwan
| Overview | North Korea | Taiwan |
|---|---|---|
Active personnel DefinitionFull-time active military personnel; exclude reserves and paramilitary unless explicitly identified. | 1,280,000Estimate · people · November 2025 IISS assessmentSingle sourceNational full-time active military personnel; the separately reported reserve, gendarmerie and paramilitary totals are excluded. | 170,000Estimate · people · 2025Single sourceReported full-time active military personnel, including serving conscripts where present; reserve pools are not added. This is an estimated headcount, not an authorised establishment, mobilisation potential or readiness measure. The source identifies active Armed Forces; no reserve pool or civilian security personnel are added. |
Armed forces personnel DefinitionActive-duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces whose training, organisation, equipment and control allow them to support or replace regular forces. This is not an active-regular-only count. | 1,469,000people · 2020Single source2020 annual observation. Active-duty military personnel, including qualifying paramilitary forces; not an active-regular-only count. | 180,800Estimate · people · 2025 edition; census date not statedSingle sourceIISS 2025 edition estimate of active armed forces plus the Coast Guard classified by IISS as paramilitary: 169,000 military personnel and 11,800 Coast Guard personnel. Excludes reserve personnel. This broader total is distinct from the active-regular-only figure. |
Combat aircraft DefinitionIn-service fixed-wing combat aircraft; exclude stored, retired and ordered aircraft. In service does not establish readiness. | 810Estimate · aircraft · Dec 2022Single sourceApproximate North Korean Air Force fixed-wing combat-aircraft force-posture total as of December 2022. The source lists trainers, ISR/C2 aircraft, transport aircraft and rotary-wing aircraft separately. This is a rounded South Korean defence ministry estimate, not a readiness measure or a current exact count. | 350Estimate · aircraft · 2025 assessment · published 23 Dec 2025Single sourceEstimated Taiwan fixed-wing combat aircraft in the 2025 U.S. government assessment: first fighter total of 350 plus 0 bombers/attack aircraft. Excludes the parenthesized figure including all fighter trainers and excludes transport/tankers and special-mission aircraft. |
Defence spending DefinitionAnnual military expenditure in current US dollars. State fiscal year, coverage and conversion basis in notes. | US$1.6bnUSD · 2018Single source2018 annual observation. Annual military expenditure, current US dollars at the year's exchange rate; not procurement orders. | US$21.2bnEstimate · USD · 2025 IISS defence budget assessmentSingle sourceSource-reported annual official defence budget/appropriation in current US dollars; it is a budget figure, not an assertion of final expenditure or readiness. Explicit 2025 economic-table year column; USD 21.2bn. The table was compiled in the November 2025 IISS assessment; this annual figure is an assessment/estimate and does not assert a final audited outturn. |
GDP DefinitionAnnual nominal GDP in current US dollars, not purchasing-power parity. | US$15.18bnEstimate · USD · 2022Single sourceEstimated nominal GDP in current US dollars for 2022, published by the UN Statistics Division using the 1968 System of National Accounts. Not purchasing-power-parity GDP or gross national income. | US$971bnEstimate · USD · 2026 IISS nominal GDP forecast (November 2025 assessment)Single sourceAnnual nominal GDP at current market prices, in source-reported current US dollars. Excludes purchasing-power-parity GDP and real GDP growth. Explicit 2026 economic-table year column; USD 971bn. The table was compiled in the November 2025 IISS assessment; this annual figure is an assessment/estimate and does not assert a final audited outturn. The explicit 2026 column is forward-looking relative to the November 2025 assessment and is retained as a forecast, not an observed final outturn. |
Main battle tanks DefinitionIn-service main battle tanks; exclude storage and orders. | ≥3,500Estimate · vehicles · 2025 edition; census date not statedSingle sourceAt least 3,500 tanks in the source’s explicit MBT category; excludes separately listed PT-76/M-1985 light tanks. | 750Estimate · vehicles · 2025 edition; census date not statedSingle sourceNational MBT fleet: Army 650 plus Marines 100. Excludes 100 CM-12 explicitly in store and M41 light tanks. |
Major surface combatants DefinitionCommissioned cruisers, destroyers and frigates. Exclude patrol craft and support vessels. | 2Estimate · vessels · 10 Jan 2025Single sourceCommissioned cruisers, destroyers and frigates in the national fleet; excludes aircraft carriers, corvettes, patrol, amphibious and support vessels. Fleet count, not immediately deployable strength. | 26Estimate · vessels · 2025 assessment · published 23 Dec 2025Single sourceEstimated national naval cruisers, destroyers and frigates in the 2025 U.S. government Taiwan Strait force-balance assessment. Excludes aircraft carriers, corvettes, patrol, amphibious, Coast Guard and support vessels. Reported fleet quantity, not mission readiness. |
Population DefinitionTotal resident population; retain the source's reference year. | 26,571,036people · 2025Single source2025 annual observation. Midyear resident population estimate. | 23,600,776Estimate · people · November 2025 IISS population assessmentSingle sourceCurrent demographic population reported in the November 2025 IISS assessment. IISS identifies US Census Bureau demographic statistics as its population source. No underlying census date or 2026 population census is inferred. |
Reserve personnel DefinitionReported reserve personnel, with mobilisation and training definitions stated in notes. | 600,000Estimate · people · November 2025 IISS assessmentSingle sourceNational military reserve pool; excludes the separately reported active and paramilitary personnel. Training/mobilisation definitions remain source-specific. The printed ε identifies an IISS estimate. | 1,657,000Estimate · people · November 2025 IISS assessmentSingle sourceNational military reserve pool; excludes the separately reported active and paramilitary personnel. Training/mobilisation definitions remain source-specific. |
Submarines DefinitionCommissioned submarines; exclude vessels on order and decommissioned vessels. | 71Estimate · vessels · 2025 editionSingle sourceCommissioned military submarines in the national fleet; excludes orders, construction and uncommissioned trial boats. Fleet count, not immediately deployable strength. | 4Estimate · vessels · 24 Jun 2025Single sourceTaiwan's four operated submarines reported in June 2025: two Hai Lung-class boats and two older Hai Shih/Hai Pao boats used for training and other limited duties. Includes the older commissioned boats; excludes the then-undelivered Hai Kun prototype. |
Transport aircraft DefinitionIn-service dedicated fixed-wing military transport aircraft; exclude trainers and orders. | 350Estimate · aircraft · Dec 2022Single sourceApproximate North Korean Air Force fixed-wing transport-aircraft force-posture total as of December 2022, including AN-2 aircraft where operated. Uses the North Korea column; the source lists trainers and rotary-wing aircraft separately. This is a rounded South Korean defence ministry estimate, not a readiness measure or a current exact count. | 19Estimate · aircraft · 8 Oct 2024Single sourceNational in-service fixed-wing military transport aircraft classified as Transport by FlightGlobal/Cirium, summing the Active column across all military services listed for the country. Includes strategic, tactical and light liaison/utility transport aircraft; excludes the separately classified trainers, special-mission aircraft, tankers and helicopters, as well as aircraft in storage, undergoing or awaiting upgrades, and orders. This is the directory's active-role inventory estimate, not a measure of immediate availability. |
Nuclear warheads DefinitionWarheads in the military stockpile, deployed or in reserve; exclude retired warheads awaiting dismantlement. Independent estimates, labelled as such. | 60Estimate · warheads · 2026 estimateSingle sourceWarheads in the military stockpile: in the custody of the military and earmarked for use by military forces, deployed or in reserve. Excludes retired warheads awaiting dismantlement. | —Not yet documented |
EQUIPMENT & WEAPONS
Equipment listed in inventory and operator sources, grouped by force and category. Sourced quantities retain their date, variant coverage and inventory status. Equipment without a documented count is listed by type.
428 matching equipment types
| Equipment | North Korea | Taiwan |
|---|---|---|
| Combat aircraft | ||
| AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-kuo | — | 129Republic of China Air Force · 2025 |
| Chengdu J-7 | 30Korean People's Army Air Force · 2025Wikipedia | — |
| F-16 Fighting Falcon | — | 1382024 |
| Ilyushin Il-28 | 80Korean People's Army Air Force · 2025Wikipedia | — |
| Lockheed Martin F-16V Viper | — | 141Republic of China Air Force · 2026Wikipedia |
| Mikoyan MiG-29 | 35Korean People's Army Air Force · 2025Wikipedia | — |
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 | 34Korean People's Army Air Force · 2025Wikipedia | — |
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 | 26Korean People's Army Air Force · 2025Wikipedia | — |
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 | 46Air Force · 2025 56Korean People's Army Air Force · 2025Wikipedia | — |
| Mirage 2000 | — | 532024 |
| Northrop F-5 | — | 592024 |
| Shenyang J-5 | 241Korean People's Army Air Force · 2025Wikipedia | — |
| Equipment | North Korea | Taiwan |
|---|---|---|
| Tanks | ||
| Cheonma-2 | In service | — |
| Chonma-ho | 1,000Korean People's Army Ground Force · 2026Wikipedia | — |
| CM11 Brave Tiger | — | 450Republic of China Army · 2026Wikipedia |
| K2 Black Panther | In service | — |
| M1 Abrams | — | 80Republic of China Army · 2025 |
| M48 Patton | — | In service |
| M60 tank | — | 100Marines · 2025 200Republic of China Army · 2025 |
| Model 1981 "Shin'heung" | In service | — |
| Pokpung-ho | 100Korean People's Army Ground Force · 2026Wikipedia | — |
| PT-76 | 560Army · 2025 | — |
| Stingray light tank | — | In service |
| T-34 | In service | — |
| Equipment | North Korea | Taiwan |
|---|---|---|
| Air defence | ||
| 9K35 Strela-10 | In service | — |
| AK-630 | In service | — |
| AN/TWQ-1 Avenger | — | In service |
| Antelope air defence system | — | In service |
| HN-5 | In service | — |
| M42 Duster | — | In service |
| M48 Chaparral | — | 2Republic of China Army · 2025 |
| Patriot | — | 9Republic of China Air Force · 2026Wikipedia |
| Pongae-5 | In service | — |
| S-125 Neva/Pechora | 300Korean People's Army Air Force · 2026Wikipedia | — |
| S-200 missile system | In service | — |
| S-75 Dvina | ≥179Air Force · 2025 ≥179Korean People's Army Air Force · 2025 | — |
| Equipment | North Korea | Taiwan |
|---|---|---|
| Small arms | ||
| ADS amphibious rifle | In service | — |
| AGS-17 | In service | — |
| AK-105 | In service | — |
| AK-12 | In service | — |
| AK-47 | In service | — |
| AK-74 | In service | — |
| AKM | In service | — |
| Barrett M82 | — | In service |
| Benelli M4 | — | In service |
| Browning Hi-Power | In service | — |
| Bushmaster M4-type Carbine | — | In service |
| Chiang Kai-shek rifle | — | In service |
| Equipment | North Korea | Taiwan |
|---|---|---|
| Remote weapon stations | ||
| Protector RWS | — | In service |
| Equipment | North Korea | Taiwan |
|---|---|---|
| Radar & sensors | ||
| AN/FPS-117 | — | 11Republic of China Air Force · 2026Wikipedia |
| AN/TPQ-37 Firefinder radar | — | In service |
| AN/TPS-75 | — | In service |
| CS/MPQ-90 Bee Eye | — | In service |
| LANTIRN | — | In service |
| P-18 radar | In service | — |
| P-40 radar | In service | — |
| PAVE PAWS | — | 1Republic of China Air Force · 2026Wikipedia |
| Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod | — | In service |
| Communications & electronic warfare | ||
| AN/PRC-77 Portable Transceiver | — | In service |
| Mark 36 SRBOC | — | In service |
Coverage is incomplete. “Not documented” means no linked inventory evidence, not zero equipment. Methodology ↗
Points represent sourced observations, including revisions. Revisions on the same effective date are not separate inventory events. Ranges appear in the table and are not plotted as exact points.
| Observation / report period | Value | Source | Claim state |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 2025 IISS population assessment | 26,402,841 people | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | superseded |
Generalized geography from Natural Earth 1:110m, version 5.1.1. Label-point distance is calculated on a sphere and rounded to the nearest 100 km; it is not a capital-to-capital distance, route, border distance or operational range. Dataset boundaries do not imply recognition of territorial claims.
Boundaries: Natural Earth 1:110m, v5.1.1 · Public domain · Research catalogue highlighted
Scores out of 100 on the ForceTally Index. Each bar splits in proportion to the two scores. A point at the centre of the chart means no sourced figure for that part.
Points represent sourced observations, including revisions. Revisions on the same effective date are not separate inventory events. Ranges appear in the table and are not plotted as exact points.
| Observation / report period | Value | Source | Claim state |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 2025 IISS assessment | 19 units | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | approved |
| November 2025 IISS assessment | 1 units | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | approved |
| November 2025 IISS assessment | 1 units | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | approved |
| November 2025 IISS assessment | 8 units | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | approved |
| November 2025 IISS assessment | 100 units | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | approved |
| November 2025 IISS assessment | 200 units | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | approved |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 51 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 16 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 4,788 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 2 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 11 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 54 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 84 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 2 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 1 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 1 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 30 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 30 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 70 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 3,598 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 2 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 13 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | ≥18 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 1 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 2 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 5 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 141 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 9 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 11 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 2 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 1 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 32 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 2 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 8 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 3 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 70 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | ≥2 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 30 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 4 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 4 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 108 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 460 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 450 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | ≥1,025 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |