Who Has The Largest Tank Arsenals In The World?
- 2.09.2026, 2:12
The war in Ukraine has significantly altered the balance of power.
The war in Ukraine has significantly altered the balance of power among the world’s leading tank powers. Russia, which just a few years ago possessed the world’s largest fleet of armored vehicles, has lost thousands of vehicles and now ranks second behind China, according to The National Interest (translation by Charter97.org).
Today, the largest tank arsenals are held by China, Russia, North Korea, the United States, and India. At the same time, the gap between the leaders is relatively small: China has more than 5,800 tanks, while Russia has about 5,000.
As recently as 2021, Russia had approximately 17,000 tanks in service and in storage. However, the war against Ukraine has led to massive depletion of this stockpile. The Ukrainian side claims that more than 12,000 Russian tanks have been destroyed, although the independent Oryx project has been able to confirm about 4,400 losses.
“If this list had been compiled in 2021, Russia would have taken first place by a wide margin,” the authors write.
Russian forces continue to use modern T-90M, T-80BVM, and upgraded T-72 tanks, but they have had to make up for losses by deploying significantly older T-62 and T-55 tanks, among others.
China, on the other hand, continues to modernize its armored forces. The backbone of its arsenal consists of modern Type 99 tanks and upgraded Type 96 tanks. It is precisely Beijing’s industrial capacity that gives it a significant advantage: “No country can match its ability to deploy armored vehicles on a wartime scale.”
At the same time, tanks themselves are no longer considered an invulnerable force. The experience in Ukraine has shown just how serious a threat anti-tank missiles and attack drones pose to armored vehicles.
India, the United States, and North Korea are also among the top five countries with the largest tank arsenals. India has nearly 4,000 tanks; the backbone of its fleet consists of Russian T-90s and T-72s, as well as its own Arjun tanks. The United States has more than 4,500 tanks, almost all of which belong to the M1 Abrams family. North Korea has nearly 5,000 tanks, though a significant portion of its fleet consists of obsolete Soviet-era equipment and its local modifications.