Is India Ahead of Pakistan? A Detailed Comparison Between India and Pakistan

comparison of nuclear warheads of India and Pakistan

A few days back one of my friend was involved in a debate with a Pakistani boy on Facebook. Though I don’t know the exact reason that sparked the debate, I remember that, for every logical reply given by my friend, the only answer his counterpart provided was “Pakistan has more Nuclear Weapon than India”. Second thing, I noticed during the debate was that my friend had to think/search for relevant facts and comparisons through which he can make his point. To prove his point he had to surf multiple web pages and blogs ranging from Wikipedia to e-newspaper. The only lesson that I learned from this debate was, do not waste your energy & time to prove something right or wrong on Facebook as you gain nothing. Now the reason why I came up with this article is to bring out a clear comparison between Indian and Pakistan, so if in future anyone gets involved in the same debate then he doesn’t have to surf through different websites. Also, while comparing these two countries I have taken only those parameters into account which can be controlled by the Government and the respective citizens. Therefore parameters like natural resources, total area, and other such factors are not taken into account. I hope we would bring out a fair comparison between both the nations. Also, I would urge all my readers to provide additional relevant information to extend this comparison.

Comparison of India and Pakistan GDP, GNP and Foreign Reserve

GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of India is $2.470 trillion which is the seventh-largest in the world. It is third-largest in the world in terms of PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) standing at $7.996 trillion. The GDP of Pakistan for the year 2015 is $228 billion and in terms of PPP is $928 billion. The GNP (Gross National Product) of India is $6.7 trillion whereas for Pakistan it is $881.5 billion. As of 2015, the Foreign-Exchange Reserves of India and Pakistan were $349.9 billion (9th highest) and $15.6 billion (66th highest) respectively. The growth rate of the Indian economy is 7% which is second fastest in the world and in the next two years it would overtake China whereas for Pakistan it stands at 4.26%. Also, one US dollar equals 104 Pakistani Rupees whereas the same for India stands at 64 Indian Rupees.

A graphical comparison of GDP of India, Pakistan And China.
A graphical comparison of GDP of India, Pakistan, And China. Image Source: oilprice.com

Comparison Between India and Pakistan Education Sector

The Literacy rate in India as per the census of 2011 stands at 74% whereas for Pakistan it was 63%. According to Times Report of Asia, nine universities of India ranked within the top 100 universities of Asia whereas none featured from Pakistan. The Indian Institute of Science (I.I.Sc) secured 276th position and three other Indian universities were included in the top 400 universities of the world, and the same count for Pakistan was zero. The Education Budget allocated by the Government of India was $10.50billion for 2015-16 whereas for Pakistan it was $6.85 billion. Although the amount spent by both the countries is high the quality of education remains below standard. Also, there were complaints of insufficient utilization of funds and no transparency on how the funds were spent. In both countries, the education department is one of the most corrupt departments.

Comparison Between India and Pakistan in Sports

In sports, India and Pakistan are arch-rivals. Any competition between these two countries brings a mixed feeling of patriotism and excitement. This can be witnessed by the level of excitement of players in the game and the spectators. Among all the games rivalry is at its peak in Cricket and Hockey matches. In hockey out of 161 matches played, India has won 54 matches and Pakistan has won 80. Both the countries were face to face in three Olympics finals out of which two were won by India and one by Pakistan. In Asian Games, the final score goes in the favor of Pakistan by 6-1. Cricket is a second game where the same rivalry can be witnessed as in Hockey. In Cricket, Pakistan leads in the number of matches won in both Test and One-Day International Matches. Indian leads in the shorter version of Cricket i.e. T-20 Matches. When it comes to Cricket World Cup, India has upper hand over Pakistan as India has defeated Pakistan in all the matches that were played. The current score in Cricket World Cup stands at 7-0. Also, India has won 3 Cricket World Cup (Two 50 overs format and one 20 overs) whereas Pakistan has won 2 (one 50 overs format and one 20 overs).

An Advertisement of Match played between India and Pakistan. Most of the matches played between these two nations are of high-voltage.
An Advertisement of Match played between India and Pakistan. Most of the matches played between these two nations are of high-voltage.

Comparison Between India and Pakistan in the Olympics and Asian Games

The Performance of India is much better at the Olympic Games as compared to Pakistan. India has won 28 medals (9-Gold, 7-Silver, and 12-Bronze) and Pakistan has won 10 medals (3-Gold, 3-Silver, and 4-Bronze). Pakistan has not won a single medal at Olympics since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Also Read: The Amount of Money Spent By India on Jammu and Kashmir

At Asian Games too, India has an edge over Pakistan as India has won 616 medals (139-Gold, 178-Silver, and 299-Bronze) and Pakistan has won 199 medals (44-Gold, 64-Silver, and 91-Bronze). India has twice hosted Asian Games and once Commonwealth Games but Pakistan never got the same opportunity.

In Last two decades performance of India at Olympics has increased whereas Pakistan has failed to win a single Medal since 1992
In Last two decades performance of India at Olympics has increased whereas Pakistan has failed to win a single Medal since 1992

Comparison Between India and Pakistan Cinema Industry

When we compared the Cinema industry of India and Pakistan, Indian Cinema is far ahead of Pakistan. Indian Cinema produces nearly 2000 movies annually whereas Pakistani Cinema struggles to produce 40 movies on an average per year. The highest-grossing Pakistani film to date is Choorian (1998) which grossed 44.5 crore INR. The highest-grossing Indian Movie to date is P.K (2014) with gross earnings of 735 Crore INR. As of 2013, in terms of annual film output, India ranks first, followed by Hollywood and the Chinese Film Industry. Indian film industry reached an overall revenue of $1.86 billion (INR 93 billion) in 2011 and it is projected to rise to $3 billion (INR 150 billion) in 2016. Many Cinema critics quote the entertainment taxes, Islamic laws and the subsequent ‘Islamization’ of Pakistani society as the main reason for the decline of the industry’s growth.

A ticket counter selling tickets of the movie "Main Hoon Shahid Afridi".
A ticket counter selling tickets of the movie “Main Hoon Shahid Afridi”. Image Source: Pakimag

Comparison Between India and Pakistan Performance in Oscars

Indian has constantly nominated movies to Oscars and few movies have really performed well. Three Indian films Mother India, Salaam Bombay! And Lagaan has been nominated for the Academy Award in “the Best Foreign Language Film” category. India has won Academy Awards six times (5 Individuals and once National Film Development Corporation of India for Movie Gandhi). In the case of Pakistan for 50 years (1963-2013) Pakistan didn’t send a single movie as its nomination for Oscars. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy became the first Pakistani (first female too) to win Oscars for her Documentary Saving Face (2012). 

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy became first Pakistani (first female too) to win Oscars for her Documentary Saving Face (2012)
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy became first Pakistani (first female too) to win Oscars for her Documentary Saving Face (2012)

Comparison Between India and Pakistan Participation in Nobel Prize

When compared by the number of Nobel Laureates of both the countries, the score stands in favor of India as 8-2. Eight Indians have won Nobel Prize and Rabindranath Tagore (Literature-1913) was the first Indian as well as the first Asian to win Nobel Prize. Abdus Salam was the first Pakistani to win the reputed prize (1979 Nobel Prize in Physics). 2014 Nobel Peace Prize was shared by Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan and Kailash Satyarthi from India. To date, Pakistan has won two Nobel Prize one in Physics and the other for Peace.

2014 Nobel Peace Prize was shared by Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan and Kailash Satyarthi from India.
2014 Nobel Peace Prize was shared by Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan and Kailash Satyarthi from India. Image Source: Townnews.com

Comparison of India and Pakistan Defense Forces and other Security Forces

Comparison of India and Pakistan Airforce

India and Pakistan both spend a huge amount of money to maintain an army which is third and seventh-largest in the world respectively. Total force of India is 4,768,857 (1,325,450 Active Military, 1,155,000 Reserve Military and 2,288,407 Paramilitary) and that of Pakistan is 1,447,800 (643,800 Active Military, 500,000 Reserve Military and 304,000 Paramilitary). The Military budget of India for the year 2014 was $45 Billion whereas for Pakistan it was $8 Billion. The total number of Aircraft stands at 1905 (India), 608 (Pakistan). The count of tanks and submarines is as follows: India (6464 Tanks, 15 submarines, and 2 aircraft carriers) vs Pakistan (2924 Tanks, 8 submarines, and 0 Aircraft carriers).

Comparison of India and Pakistan Road and Railways

The rail network of India is far more developed than that of Pakistan. When compared, Pakistan has 11,778 km of railways track and 527 railways station whereas India has 115,000 km of railways track and 7112 stations. Indian Railways is the fourth-largest rail network in the world. Indian railways revenue for the year 2014-15 was $25 billion whereas for Pakistan it was $239 million. In 1950-55 the total track length of Pakistan railways was 12000.79 km which decreased to 11788 km by 2013-14. On comparing the National Highways, India has 96,250km of National highways while Pakistan has 12,000km. Indian has developed many great highways in the past like The Golden Quadrilateral (5846km), the North-South and East-West Corridor (7300km) and Yamuna Expressway (165km) whereas the longest expressway operational in Pakistan is 367 km long M2 Motorway which connects city Lahore with Islamabad.

A detailed comparison of various means of Transportation between India and Pakistan.
A detailed comparison of various means of Transportation between India and Pakistan. Image Source: Indexmundi

Comparison of India and Pakistan Space Program

India is far ahead of Pakistan and other Asian countries in Space Program. Indian Space Research Organization (I.S.R.O) has achieved many landmarks in the space program that Pakistan has yet to achieve. Indian Launched its first satellite Aryabhata in 1975 and the same milestone was achieved by Pakistan in the year 1990 (Badr-1 was the first artificial satellite of Pakistan). The budget of the Indian space program is $1.2 billion and that of Pakistan is $75.1 million. ISRO provides a platform for many foreign countries to launch their satellites and has carried out 75 spacecraft missions, 46 launch missions. Last year India successfully completed Mars Orbiter Mission (M.O.M) and it is the third country in the world after the USA and Russia. India is the first country to achieve this feat in the first attempt and also the first Asian country to reach on Mars.

Indian Government issued a 2 Rs. Note which carried the image of Aryabhata satellite.
Indian Government issued a 2 Rs. Note which carried the image of Aryabhata satellite.

Top Companies in the world, Stock Market, and Billionaires

Also Read: Mistakes of Jawahar Lal Nehru and History of Kashmir Issue

Seven Indian companies were listed in the Fortune 500 company. They were (Indian Oil 119th position, Reliance 158th, Tata Motors 254th, State Bank of India 260th, Bharat Petroleum 280th, Hindustan Petroleum 327th and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation 449th position) whereas none of the Pakistani company appeared in the list. Indian railways and Indian Armed forces are the world’s 8th and 9th largest employer. Bombay Stock Exchange (B.S.E) and National Stock Exchange (N.S.E) were the world’s 11th and 12th major stock exchanges. India has 7 billionaires in the Forbes list of top 100 billionaires they are (Mukesh Ambani 39th position, Dilip Sanghvi 44th, Azim Premji 48th, Pallonji Mistry 55th, Shiv Nadar 66th, Hinduja Brothers 69th, and Lakshmi Mittal 82nd position). None of the Pakistani billionaires came on the same list. The total income of Shahid Khan (richest person in Pakistan) is $5.8 billion whereas that of Mukesh Ambani (richest person in India) is $21 billion.

A Projected list displaying the most number of billionaire by the end of year 2023.
A Projected list displaying the most number of the billionaire by the end of the year 2023.

War of 1948, 1965, 1971 & 1999

Both countries have confronted on a large scale four times in the past. If we compare the results India again has an upper hand. The fight of 1947-48 was stopped by the United Nations and due to the mistakes of Jawaharlal Nehru India lost the 1/3rd area of the State of Jammu & Kashmir. The result of the other three wars was different. The war of 1965 was stopped after the United Nations ceasefire but according to neutral sources, Pakistan lost 3800 soldiers as compared to 3000 of India and India won 1840km.sq of the area that was given back to Pakistan. In 2015, on the 50th anniversary of the 1965 war, Pakistani historians accepted the fact that Pakistan was defeated in the war of 1965 which they refused in the past. Time Magazine in its October edition of 1965 wrote:

Now it’s apparent to everybody that India is going to emerge as an Asian power in its own right.”

Historical image when Pakistani Army surrendered to Indian Army during the fight of 1971.
Historical Photograph when Pakistani Army surrendered to Indian Army during the war of 1971.

In the war of 1971, India had a decisive victory and it led to the creation of Bangladesh from East Pakistan. Indian forces captured around 15,010 km sq. land in Western Pakistan but was returned in the Shimla Agreement as a gesture of goodwill. A record number of soldiers of the Pakistan Armed Forces (including paramilitary) were taken as Prisoners of War (90,000) by the Indian Army. The 1999 Kargil War was another attempt by Pakistani forces to create disturbance in the Kashmir Valley but it was repelled by Indian Forces and Pakistan was criticized on the Global level for initiating war with its neighbor.

There are many other parameters where if compared, India would emerge as the winner and sometimes victory margin may be very huge. It is useless to say Pakistan can defeat India on any front. India is currently a major economy in the world and is still booming whereas a decline is noticed in the economy of other countries. The purpose of this comparison is not to humiliate the Neighbor but to bring out the fact that indeed India is far ahead on almost every front when compared to Pakistan. As mentioned earlier these comparisons were drawn not on the basis of natural resources but on those factors that can be controlled by its citizens and Government. There are many other areas where both countries have to improve Education, Health, Anti-Corruption, and Anti-Terrorism. In both countries, many people live below the poverty line and they contribute to the maximum number of poor’s in the South-Asian region. It’s time that Pakistan should understand that going for war is not a solution as the attack would be repelled by India but if tried hard the same money can be used for the betterment of its citizens. Also for all our readers, you can take this article as a reference in case you get involved in the comparison between these two countries. But I would warn every reader…fighting on Facebook is not going to yield any result. Also, we would request all our readers to please share this article with their friends if you really liked it. It would help us to reach more audiences.

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1 Response

  1. masood shah says:

    I really appreciate your effort as I too say that…… I want to slap those bastards who compare India with Pakistan… they are no where

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