What is the Global Firepower Index?

The Global Firepower Index is a rating of the military forces of all countries on the planet. It relies on 50 indices to fix the ‘PowerIndex-score,’ from weapon numbers to weapon diversity and natural resources, including available industries to the workforce, financial stability, logistical capability, and geography.

A total of 145 world powers are considered For the 2023 GFP review. The Global Firepower Index, 2023, puts the US at the top, Russia at the second spot, China at No. 3, and India at No. 4.

IAS aspirants can also refer to the Global Indices & India’s Ranking in the same for the year 2023 at the linked article.

Reports and Indexes like the Global Firepower are important from the UPSC exam perspective. Candidates must go through the military power index and its key findings discussed in the article further below. This topic is an important topic in current affairs for UPSC.

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Firepower Report – Top 10 Countries

Here is the list of the top 10 countries on Global Power Index 2023:

The Perfect 0.000 Score

A Global Power Index rating of 0.000 is the perfect score, which no country so far has attained. The smaller the score value, the more powerful is the fighting capability, even if only on paper. The GPI does not take into account nuclear capabilities. The ranking is purely in terms of conventional capabilities.

Also, refer to the following links relevant to the IAS syllabus:

Making Amends to Balance Variables

GPI 2022 saw the United States dominate, with China and Russia competing neck-to-neck and India playing catch-up. GPI 2022 reviewed the militaries of 140 countries and used an in-house formula to rank them based on a stack of 30 variables, including military might, financials, and logistics. The index controls for variables such as military size and capabilities.

It enables more technologically-advanced militaries of smaller countries to compete with the larger but less-developed militaries of big countries by giving special bonuses and penalties.

Competing with Pakistan

India’s military is placed fourth on the GPI out of 145 countries in 2023. India’s rival on the subcontinent, Pakistan, ranked No. 7, breaking into the top 10 for the first time from No. 13 the previous year. India maintained its No. 4 position. Pakistan slipped into the top 15 in 2021. Other countries in the top 10 include legacy powers such as the United Kingdom, France, Japan, and Germany. Pakistan factors in with its ally Turkey.

Get details about India-Pakistan Relations at the linked article.

The ‘Dragon’ and the ‘Elephant’

India’s “rival in the north,” China, has been creeping up on Russia and India over the last decade. It is already outstripped the United States in the sheer size of its economy and is bent on becoming No. 1 in military strength and capability.

Conclusion

The defence budget of each country is accounted for in the Global Firepower Index. For example, China’s defence budget is three times India’s defence budget. Values for GPI are partly derived from the CIA World Factbook. All values are in US dollars.

India has many serious competitors in the GPI of 2023. We also have several internal problems to address and rank higher in future iterations of the index. However, with its consistent investment in defense, a motivated military, and a targeted approach towards improvement, India surely has the potential to lead in the GPIs to come.

Aspirants can visit the linked article and get details about the upcoming government exams that comprise latest current affairs and general awareness as an important topic in the syllabus.

Furthermore, get details about the latest exam updates, study material and preparation tips at BYJU’S.