Indicator	Value
Military expenditure (% GDP)	1.71 %SIPRI via World Bank WDI [2024]
Military expenditure	314,000,000,000 US$SIPRI via World Bank WDI [2024]
Armed forces personnel	2,540,000 peopleWorld Bank WDI [2020]
Arms imports	72,000,000 US$SIPRI via World Bank WDI [2024]
Arms exports	1,130,000,000 US$SIPRI via World Bank WDI [2024]
Military & security forces	People's Liberation Army (PLA): Ground Forces or People's Liberation Army Army (PLAA), Navy (PLAN, includes Marine Corps (PLANMC)), Air Force (PLAAF), Rocket Force (PLARF), Aerospace Force (ASF), Cyberspace Force (CSF), Information Support Force (ISF), Joint Logistics Support Force (JLSF); People's Armed Police (PAP, includes Coast Guard, Border Defense Force, Internal Security Forces); PLA Reserve Force (2025); note: note 1: the PAP is a paramilitary police component of China’s armed forces that is under the dual authority of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the Central Military Commission; the China Coast Guard (CCG) is subordinate to the PAPnote 2: the PLA (established 1927) is the military arm of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which oversees the PLA through its Central Military Commission (CMC); the CMC is China’s top military decision making bodyCIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive
Military service age & obligation	18-26 years of age depending on education level for men and women for both volunteer and selective compulsory military service; 24-month service obligation (2025); note: the PLA’s conscription system functions as a levy; the PLA establishes the number of enlistees needed, which produces quotas for the provinces; each province provides a set number of soldiers or sailors; if the number of volunteers fails to meet quotas, the local governments may compel individuals to enter military serviceCIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive
Arms imports (USD)	72,000,000 US$SIPRI via World Bank WDI [2024]
Arms exports (USD)	1,130,000,000 US$SIPRI via World Bank WDI [2024]
Military spending (% of GDP)	1.71 %SIPRI via World Bank WDI [2024]
Military spending (USD)	314,000,000,000 US$SIPRI via World Bank WDI [2024]