Uzbekistan ranks 18th among 87 countries in military power

According to the results of the recent study, Uzbekistan ranks 18th among 87 countries. The rating was compiled based on a survey of 17,200 people in 36 countries. All countries were rated on 73 criteria based on a combination of individual responses.

Uzbekistan is ahead of Kazakhstan by 0.2 points in terms of military power—16 and 15.8 points, respectively. At the same time, Kazakhstan was ahead two years in a row: in 2021, 25.6 and 21.5 points; in 2022, 12.6 and 10.8 points.

Among the countries with the strongest military, the United States took second place in 2021 with a score of 97.4, behind China’s 97.6, for the third year in a row.

Ukraine significantly strengthened its position: according to the study, in 2023, it scored 73.6 points; in 2022, this figure was 65.6 points; and in 2021, it was only 38.6 points.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Kazakhstan has the largest military budget among Central Asian countries. In 2022, it amounted to $1.1 billion, while in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, this figure was $149.8 million and $103.5 million, respectively. There is no information on the military expenditures of Uzbekistan.

Military spending varies greatly between countries with the world’s most powerful militaries. In 2022, Russia’s military expenditures amounted to $86.4 billion, which is 10 times less than the US's $876.9 billion. China’s military expenditure amounted to $292 billion. It is worth noting that, despite the impressive amounts, all three countries increased spending on the military: the United States and China—by 8.8% and 2.1%, respectively—and Russia—by almost a third.