# Armed forces by nation — world ranking

Armed forces ranked across 166 nations, highest to lowest. India highest at 3.1 m (2020). Each figure carries its publisher and observation year.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/rankings/armed-forces-personnel
Updated: 2026-06-14 (the military domain's last refresh)

Definition: Total active armed-forces personnel.
Unit: people. Ordered highest to lowest — a ranking of figures, not a grading of nations. Ties share a rank.

Note: this table mixes vintages — each publisher carries a nation's latest available year, so observations run from 2000 to 2020. Every row shows its own.

## Ranking (166 nations)

| Rank | Nation | Value | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 3.1 m | 2020 |
| 2 | China | 2.5 m | 2020 |
| 3 | North Korea | 1.5 m | 2020 |
| 4 | Russia | 1.5 m | 2020 |
| 5 | United States | 1.4 m | 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 | Türkiye | 512,000 | 2020 |
| 14 | Myanmar | 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 | Afghanistan | 165,000 | 2020 |
| 37 | Belarus | 158,000 | 2020 |
| 37 | Peru | 158,000 | 2020 |
| 39 | Philippines | 157,000 | 2020 |
| 40 | United Kingdom | 153,000 | 2020 |
| 41 | Greece | 147,000 | 2020 |
| 42 | Sudan | 144,000 | 2020 |
| 43 | Ethiopia | 138,000 | 2020 |
| 44 | Malaysia | 136,000 | 2020 |
| 45 | DR Congo | 134,000 | 2020 |
| 46 | Laos | 129,000 | 2020 |
| 47 | Romania | 128,000 | 2020 |
| 48 | Angola | 117,000 | 2020 |
| 49 | Jordan | 116,000 | 2020 |
| 50 | Chile | 114,000 | 2020 |
| 51 | Nepal | 112,000 | 2020 |
| 52 | Argentina | 103,000 | 2020 |
| 53 | South Africa | 89,000 | 2020 |
| 54 | Azerbaijan | 82,000 | 2020 |
| 55 | Lebanon | 80,000 | 2020 |
| 56 | Cuba | 76,000 | 2020 |
| 57 | Canada | 72,000 | 2020 |
| 58 | Bolivia | 71,000 | 2020 |
| 58 | Dominican Republic | 71,000 | 2020 |
| 58 | Kazakhstan | 71,000 | 2020 |
| 61 | Uzbekistan | 68,000 | 2020 |
| 62 | United Arab Emirates | 63,000 | 2020 |
| 63 | Australia | 60,000 | 2020 |
| 64 | Turkmenistan | 57,000 | 2020 |
| 65 | South Sudan | 53,000 | 2020 |
| 66 | Portugal | 52,000 | 2020 |
| 67 | Zimbabwe | 51,000 | 2020 |
| 68 | Tunisia | 48,000 | 2020 |
| 69 | Armenia | 47,000 | 2020 |
| 69 | Oman | 47,000 | 2020 |
| 71 | Hungary | 46,000 | 2020 |
| 71 | Uganda | 46,000 | 2020 |
| 73 | Chad | 45,000 | 2020 |
| 74 | Guatemala | 43,000 | 2020 |
| 75 | Ecuador | 42,000 | 2020 |
| 75 | El Salvador | 42,000 | 2020 |
| 77 | Mali | 41,000 | 2020 |
| 77 | Netherlands | 41,000 | 2020 |
| 79 | Yemen | 40,000 | 2020 |
| 80 | Bulgaria | 37,000 | 2020 |
| 80 | Lithuania | 37,000 | 2020 |
| 82 | Rwanda | 35,000 | 2020 |
| 83 | Cameroon | 34,000 | 2020 |
| 84 | Serbia | 32,000 | 2020 |
| 85 | Burundi | 31,000 | 2020 |
| 86 | Paraguay | 29,000 | 2020 |
| 87 | Panama | 28,000 | 2020 |
| 87 | Tanzania | 28,000 | 2020 |
| 89 | Czechia | 27,000 | 2020 |
| 89 | Ivory Coast | 27,000 | 2020 |
| 91 | Georgia | 26,000 | 2020 |
| 92 | Kuwait | 25,000 | 2020 |
| 92 | Norway | 25,000 | 2020 |
| 94 | Belgium | 24,000 | 2020 |
| 94 | Kenya | 24,000 | 2020 |
| 96 | Austria | 23,000 | 2020 |
| 96 | Honduras | 23,000 | 2020 |
| 98 | Finland | 22,000 | 2020 |
| 98 | Madagascar | 22,000 | 2020 |
| 98 | Qatar | 22,000 | 2020 |
| 98 | Uruguay | 22,000 | 2020 |
| 102 | Kyrgyzstan | 21,000 | 2020 |
| 102 | Mauritania | 21,000 | 2020 |
| 104 | Croatia | 20,000 | 2020 |
| 104 | Switzerland | 20,000 | 2020 |
| 106 | Senegal | 19,000 | 2020 |
| 107 | Mongolia | 18,000 | 2020 |
| 107 | Slovakia | 18,000 | 2020 |
| 109 | Tajikistan | 17,000 | 2020 |
| 110 | Ghana | 16,000 | 2020 |
| 110 | Namibia | 16,000 | 2020 |
| 110 | North Macedonia | 16,000 | 2020 |
| 110 | Zambia | 16,000 | 2020 |
| 114 | Denmark | 15,000 | 2020 |
| 114 | Malawi | 15,000 | 2020 |
| 114 | Sweden | 15,000 | 2020 |
| 117 | Somalia | 14,000 | 2020 |
| 118 | Cyprus | 13,000 | 2020 |
| 118 | Djibouti | 13,000 | 2020 |
| 118 | Guinea | 13,000 | 2020 |
| 121 | Benin | 12,000 | 2020 |
| 121 | Congo | 12,000 | 2020 |
| 121 | Montenegro | 12,000 | 2020 |
| 121 | Nicaragua | 12,000 | 2020 |
| 125 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 11,000 | 2020 |
| 125 | Burkina Faso | 11,000 | 2020 |
| 125 | Mozambique | 11,000 | 2020 |
| 128 | Central African Republic | 10,000 | 2020 |
| 128 | Costa Rica | 10,000 | 2020 |
| 128 | New Zealand | 10,000 | 2020 |
| 128 | Niger | 10,000 | 2020 |
| 128 | Togo | 10,000 | 2020 |
| 133 | Botswana | 9,000 | 2020 |
| 133 | Ireland | 9,000 | 2020 |
| 133 | Latvia | 9,000 | 2020 |
| 133 | Sierra Leone | 9,000 | 2020 |
| 137 | Albania | 8,000 | 2020 |
| 137 | Brunei | 8,000 | 2020 |
| 139 | Estonia | 7,000 | 2020 |
| 139 | Gabon | 7,000 | 2020 |
| 139 | Slovenia | 7,000 | 2020 |
| 142 | Bhutan | 6,000 | 2000 |
| 142 | Jamaica | 6,000 | 2020 |
| 142 | Moldova | 6,000 | 2020 |
| 145 | Trinidad and Tobago | 5,000 | 2020 |
| 146 | Fiji | 4,000 | 2020 |
| 146 | Gambia | 4,000 | 2020 |
| 146 | Guinea-Bissau | 4,000 | 2020 |
| 146 | Papua New Guinea | 4,000 | 2020 |
| 150 | Guyana | 3,000 | 2020 |
| 150 | Mauritius | 3,000 | 2020 |
| 152 | Bahamas | 2,000 | 2020 |
| 152 | Belize | 2,000 | 2020 |
| 152 | Lesotho | 2,000 | 2020 |
| 152 | Liberia | 2,000 | 2020 |
| 152 | Malta | 2,000 | 2020 |
| 152 | Suriname | 2,000 | 2020 |
| 152 | Timor-Leste | 2,000 | 2020 |
| 159 | Cape Verde | 1,000 | 2020 |
| 159 | Equatorial Guinea | 1,000 | 2020 |
| 159 | Haiti | 1,000 | 2020 |
| 159 | Luxembourg | 1,000 | 2020 |
| 163 | Iceland | 0 | 2020 |
| 163 | Libya | 0 | 2020 |
| 163 | Palestine | 0 | 2020 |
| 163 | Seychelles | 0 | 2020 |

## No data (20 nations)

These nations publish no figure for this indicator in the sources below. Absence is a fact about the world's statistical apparatus, not a zero — they are not ranked.

- Andorra
- Antarctica — Antarctica has no permanent population and no national government — it is administered under the Antarctic Treaty. No statistical agency compiles national indicators for it, so there is nothing here to report.
- Comoros
- Eswatini
- Falkland Islands — The Falkland Islands are a British Overseas Territory, administered by the United Kingdom; sovereignty is disputed by Argentina. They are not a separate reporting entity in World Bank datasets.
- French Southern and Antarctic Lands — The French Southern and Antarctic Lands have no permanent civilian population. They are administered from Réunion as an overseas territory of France and are not a separate reporting entity in international datasets.
- Greenland
- Kosovo
- Liechtenstein
- Monaco
- New Caledonia
- Northern Cyprus — Northern Cyprus is recognised as a state by Türkiye alone. It is not a member of the United Nations or the World Bank, and does not appear as a separate entity in the datasets these indicators are drawn from.
- Puerto Rico
- San Marino
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Solomon Islands
- Somaliland — Somaliland declared independence in 1991 and has not been recognised by the United Nations or any member state. Where its figures are collected at all, they are reported within Somalia's.
- Taiwan — Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations, and is excluded from the World Bank and UN series that supply most of this dossier. Its own statistical agencies publish extensively.
- Vanuatu
- Vatican City — Vatican City has a resident population of a few hundred and does not compile the economic and social series these indicators are drawn from.

## Sources

- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex

Citation template: Terralore, "Armed forces by nation — world ranking", terralore.co/rankings/armed-forces-personnel, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.