Countries by armed forces personnel
India ranks highest at 3,068,000, followed by China and North Korea. All 174 countries and 2 territories ranked below.
Mostly 2020 data
Updated August 12, 2026
| Rank | Country | Armed forces personnel | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  India | 3,068,000 | 2020 |
| 2 |  China | 2,535,000 | 2020 |
| 3 |  North Korea | 1,469,000 | 2020 |
| 4 |  Russia | 1,454,000 | 2020 |
| 5 |  United States | 1,395,000 | 2020 |
| 6 |  Pakistan | 943,000 | 2020 |
| 7 |  Egypt | 836,000 | 2020 |
| 8 |  Brazil | 762,000 | 2020 |
| 9 |  Indonesia | 676,000 | 2020 |
| 10 |  Iran | 650,000 | 2020 |
| 11 |  South Korea | 569,000 | 2020 |
| 12 |  Vietnam | 522,000 | 2020 |
| 13 |  Turkey (Türkiye) | 512,000 | 2020 |
| 14 |  Myanmar (Burma) | 463,000 | 2020 |
| 15 |  Iraq | 459,000 | 2020 |
| 16 |  Thailand | 455,000 | 2020 |
| 17 |  Colombia | 428,000 | 2020 |
| 18 |  Venezuela | 343,000 | 2020 |
| 19 |  Mexico | 341,000 | 2020 |
| 20 |  Italy | 338,000 | 2020 |
| 21 |  Algeria | 326,000 | 2020 |
| 22 |  Sri Lanka | 317,000 | 2020 |
| 23 |  France | 304,000 | 2020 |
| 24 |  Ukraine | 298,000 | 2020 |
| 25 |  Saudi Arabia | 282,000 | 2020 |
| 26 |  Syria | 269,000 | 2020 |
| 27 |  Japan | 261,000 | 2020 |
| 28 |  Morocco | 246,000 | 2020 |
| 29 |  Bangladesh | 227,000 | 2020 |
| 30 |  Nigeria | 223,000 | 2020 |
| 31 |  Eritrea | 202,000 | 2020 |
| 32 |  Spain | 199,000 | 2020 |
| 33 |  Cambodia | 191,000 | 2020 |
| 34 |  Poland | 189,000 | 2020 |
| 35 |  Germany | 183,000 | 2020 |
| 36 |  Israel | 178,000 | 2020 |
| 37 |  Taiwan territory | 170,000 | 2025 archive |
| 38 |  Afghanistan | 165,000 | 2020 |
| 39 |  Belarus | 158,000 | 2020 |
| 39 |  Peru | 158,000 | 2020 |
| 41 |  Philippines | 157,000 | 2020 |
| 42 |  United Kingdom | 153,000 | 2020 |
| 43 |  Greece | 147,000 | 2020 |
| 44 |  Sudan | 144,000 | 2020 |
| 45 |  Ethiopia | 138,000 | 2020 |
| 46 |  Malaysia | 136,000 | 2020 |
| 47 |  DR Congo | 134,000 | 2020 |
| 48 |  Laos | 129,000 | 2020 |
| 49 |  Romania | 128,000 | 2020 |
| 50 |  Angola | 117,000 | 2020 |
| 51 |  Jordan | 116,000 | 2020 |
| 52 |  Chile | 114,000 | 2020 |
| 53 |  Nepal | 112,000 | 2020 |
| 54 |  Argentina | 103,000 | 2020 |
| 55 |  South Africa | 89,000 | 2020 |
| 56 |  Azerbaijan | 82,000 | 2020 |
| 57 |  Lebanon | 80,000 | 2020 |
| 58 |  Cuba | 76,000 | 2020 |
| 59 |  Canada | 72,000 | 2020 |
| 60 |  Bolivia | 71,000 | 2020 |
| 60 |  Dominican Republic | 71,000 | 2020 |
| 60 |  Kazakhstan | 71,000 | 2020 |
| 63 |  Uzbekistan | 68,000 | 2020 |
| 64 |  United Arab Emirates | 63,000 | 2020 |
| 65 |  Australia | 60,000 | 2020 |
| 66 |  Singapore | 59,000 | 2020 |
| 67 |  Turkmenistan | 57,000 | 2020 |
| 68 |  South Sudan | 53,000 | 2020 |
| 69 |  Portugal | 52,000 | 2020 |
| 70 |  Zimbabwe | 51,000 | 2020 |
| 71 |  Tunisia | 48,000 | 2020 |
| 72 |  Armenia | 47,000 | 2020 |
| 72 |  Oman | 47,000 | 2020 |
| 74 |  Hungary | 46,000 | 2020 |
| 74 |  Uganda | 46,000 | 2020 |
| 76 |  Chad | 45,000 | 2020 |
| 77 |  Guatemala | 43,000 | 2020 |
| 78 |  Ecuador | 42,000 | 2020 |
| 78 |  El Salvador | 42,000 | 2020 |
| 80 |  Mali | 41,000 | 2020 |
| 80 |  Netherlands | 41,000 | 2020 |
| 82 |  Yemen | 40,000 | 2020 |
| 83 |  Bulgaria | 37,000 | 2020 |
| 83 |  Lithuania | 37,000 | 2020 |
| 85 |  Rwanda | 35,000 | 2020 |
| 86 |  Cameroon | 34,000 | 2020 |
| 87 |  Serbia | 32,000 | 2020 |
| 88 |  Burundi | 31,000 | 2020 |
| 89 |  Paraguay | 29,000 | 2020 |
| 90 |  Panama | 28,000 | 2020 |
| 90 |  Tanzania | 28,000 | 2020 |
| 92 |  Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) | 27,000 | 2020 |
| 92 |  Czechia (Czech Republic) | 27,000 | 2020 |
| 94 |  Georgia | 26,000 | 2020 |
| 95 |  Kuwait | 25,000 | 2020 |
| 95 |  Norway | 25,000 | 2020 |
| 97 |  Belgium | 24,000 | 2020 |
| 97 |  Kenya | 24,000 | 2020 |
| 99 |  Austria | 23,000 | 2020 |
| 99 |  Honduras | 23,000 | 2020 |
| 101 |  Finland | 22,000 | 2020 |
| 101 |  Madagascar | 22,000 | 2020 |
| 101 |  Qatar | 22,000 | 2020 |
| 101 |  Uruguay | 22,000 | 2020 |
| 105 |  Kyrgyzstan | 21,000 | 2020 |
| 105 |  Mauritania | 21,000 | 2020 |
| 107 |  Croatia | 20,000 | 2020 |
| 107 |  Switzerland | 20,000 | 2020 |
| 109 |  Bahrain | 19,000 | 2020 |
| 109 |  Senegal | 19,000 | 2020 |
| 111 |  Mongolia | 18,000 | 2020 |
| 111 |  Slovakia | 18,000 | 2020 |
| 113 |  Tajikistan | 17,000 | 2020 |
| 114 |  Ghana | 16,000 | 2020 |
| 114 |  Namibia | 16,000 | 2020 |
| 114 |  North Macedonia | 16,000 | 2020 |
| 114 |  Zambia | 16,000 | 2020 |
| 118 |  Denmark | 15,000 | 2020 |
| 118 |  Malawi | 15,000 | 2020 |
| 118 |  Sweden | 15,000 | 2020 |
| 121 |  Somalia | 14,000 | 2020 |
| 122 |  Cyprus | 13,000 | 2020 |
| 122 |  Djibouti | 13,000 | 2020 |
| 122 |  Guinea | 13,000 | 2020 |
| 125 |  Benin | 12,000 | 2020 |
| 125 |  Montenegro | 12,000 | 2020 |
| 125 |  Nicaragua | 12,000 | 2020 |
| 125 |  Republic of the Congo | 12,000 | 2020 |
| 129 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 11,000 | 2020 |
| 129 |  Burkina Faso | 11,000 | 2020 |
| 129 |  Mozambique | 11,000 | 2020 |
| 132 |  Central African Republic | 10,000 | 2020 |
| 132 |  Costa Rica | 10,000 | 2020 |
| 132 |  New Zealand | 10,000 | 2020 |
| 132 |  Niger | 10,000 | 2020 |
| 132 |  Togo | 10,000 | 2020 |
| 137 |  Botswana | 9,000 | 2020 |
| 137 |  Ireland | 9,000 | 2020 |
| 137 |  Latvia | 9,000 | 2020 |
| 137 |  Sierra Leone | 9,000 | 2020 |
| 141 |  Albania | 8,000 | 2020 |
| 141 |  Brunei | 8,000 | 2020 |
| 143 |  Estonia | 7,000 | 2020 |
| 143 |  Gabon | 7,000 | 2020 |
| 143 |  Slovenia | 7,000 | 2020 |
| 146 |  Bhutan | 6,000 | 2000 |
| 146 |  Jamaica | 6,000 | 2020 |
| 146 |  Moldova | 6,000 | 2020 |
| 149 |  Maldives | 5,000 | 2000 |
| 149 |  Trinidad and Tobago | 5,000 | 2020 |
| 151 |  Fiji | 4,000 | 2020 |
| 151 |  Gambia | 4,000 | 2020 |
| 151 |  Guinea-Bissau | 4,000 | 2020 |
| 151 |  Papua New Guinea | 4,000 | 2020 |
| 155 |  Kosovo territory | 3,300 | 2024 archive |
| 156 |  Eswatini | 3,000 | 1999 |
| 156 |  Guyana | 3,000 | 2020 |
| 156 |  Mauritius | 3,000 | 2020 |
| 159 |  Bahamas | 2,000 | 2020 |
| 159 |  Belize | 2,000 | 2020 |
| 159 |  Lesotho | 2,000 | 2020 |
| 159 |  Liberia | 2,000 | 2020 |
| 159 |  Malta | 2,000 | 2020 |
| 159 |  Suriname | 2,000 | 2020 |
| 159 |  Timor-Leste | 2,000 | 2020 |
| 166 |  Barbados | 1,000 | 2020 |
| 166 |  Cape Verde | 1,000 | 2020 |
| 166 |  Equatorial Guinea | 1,000 | 2020 |
| 166 |  Haiti | 1,000 | 2020 |
| 166 |  Luxembourg | 1,000 | 2020 |
| 166 |  São Tomé and Príncipe | 1,000 | 1999 |
| 172 |  Comoros | 600 | 2023 archive |
| 172 |  Tonga | 600 | 2025 archive |
| 174 |  Seychelles | 500 | 2025 archive |
| 175 |  Antigua and Barbuda | 300 | 2025 archive |
| 176 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis | 200 | 2024 archive |
How this is measured
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. Values are the most recent non-empty observation for each country, so vintages differ; the year column carries each figure's own date rather than implying a single edition year. Territories appear where the source reports them and are labelled. See the methodology for refresh cadence, or the field definition for how the indicator is constructed.
7 of the 176 entries come from the archive rather than a live feed. Current statistical feeds track economies rather than every territory, so entities no live source covers are carried at their final CIA World Factbook value instead of being dropped from the table. Those rows are marked archive. None of them refresh, and each prints its own observation year.