Composite Index of National Capability

The Composite Index of National Capability (CINC) is a statistical measure of national power created by J. David Singer for the Correlates of War project in 1963. It uses an average of percentages of world totals in six different components. The components represent demographic, economic, and military strength. More recent studies tend to use the (CINC) score, which “focuses on measures that are more salient to the perception of true state power” beyond GDP. It is still “among the best-known and most accepted methods for measuring national capabilities.” The CINC only measures hard powers and may not represent total national power.