NationsTreeRanking · latest available · data as of 26 October 2026 · printed 27 Oct 2026
Armed forces personnel (people)
Active-duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces trained and equipped like the military. Ranked from largest to smallest.
Source: World Bank · World Development Indicators · MS.MIL.TOTL.P1
Top 5 over time
Dashed line: world median| # | Country | Region | Armed forces personnelpeople | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  India |
South Asia | 3.1 m | 2020 |
| 2 |  China |
East Asia & Pacific | 2.5 m | 2020 |
| 3 |  North Korea |
East Asia & Pacific | 1.5 m | 2020 |
| 4 |  Russia |
Europe & Central Asia | 1.5 m | 2020 |
| 5 |  United States |
North America | 1.4 m | 2020 |
| 6 |  Pakistan |
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 943,000 | 2020 |
| 7 |  Egypt |
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 836,000 | 2020 |
| 8 |  Brazil |
Latin America & Caribbean | 762,000 | 2020 |
| 9 |  Indonesia |
East Asia & Pacific | 676,000 | 2020 |
| 10 |  Iran |
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 650,000 | 2020 |
| 11 |  South Korea |
East Asia & Pacific | 569,000 | 2020 |
| 12 |  Vietnam |
East Asia & Pacific | 522,000 | 2020 |
| 13 |  Türkiye |
Europe & Central Asia | 512,000 | 2020 |
| 14 |  Myanmar |
East Asia & Pacific | 463,000 | 2020 |
| 15 |  Iraq |
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 459,000 | 2020 |
| 16 |  Thailand |
East Asia & Pacific | 455,000 | 2020 |
| 17 |  Colombia |
Latin America & Caribbean | 428,000 | 2020 |
| 18 |  Venezuela |
Latin America & Caribbean | 343,000 | 2020 |
| 19 |  Mexico |
Latin America & Caribbean | 341,000 | 2020 |
| 20 |  Italy |
Europe & Central Asia | 338,000 | 2020 |
| 21 |  Algeria |
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 326,000 | 2020 |
| 22 |  Sri Lanka |
South Asia | 317,000 | 2020 |
| 23 |  France |
Europe & Central Asia | 304,000 | 2020 |
| 24 |  Ukraine |
Europe & Central Asia | 298,000 | 2020 |
| 25 |  Saudi Arabia |
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 282,000 | 2020 |
| 26 |  Syria |
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 269,000 | 2020 |
| 27 |  Japan |
East Asia & Pacific | 261,000 | 2020 |
| 28 |  Morocco |
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 246,000 | 2020 |
| 29 |  Bangladesh |
South Asia | 227,000 | 2020 |
| 30 |  Nigeria |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 223,000 | 2020 |
| 31 |  Eritrea |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 202,000 | 2020 |
| 32 |  Spain |
Europe & Central Asia | 199,000 | 2020 |
| 33 |  Cambodia |
East Asia & Pacific | 191,000 | 2020 |
| 34 |  Poland |
Europe & Central Asia | 189,000 | 2020 |
| 35 |  Germany |
Europe & Central Asia | 183,000 | 2020 |
| 36 |  Israel |
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 178,000 | 2020 |
| 37 |  Afghanistan |
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 165,000 | 2020 |
| 38 |  Belarus |
Europe & Central Asia | 158,000 | 2020 |
| 38 |  Peru |
Latin America & Caribbean | 158,000 | 2020 |
| 40 |  Philippines |
East Asia & Pacific | 157,000 | 2020 |
| 41 |  United Kingdom |
Europe & Central Asia | 153,000 | 2020 |
| 42 |  Greece |
Europe & Central Asia | 147,000 | 2020 |
| 43 |  Sudan |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 144,000 | 2020 |
| 44 |  Ethiopia |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 138,000 | 2020 |
| 45 |  Malaysia |
East Asia & Pacific | 136,000 | 2020 |
| 46 |  DR Congo |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 134,000 | 2020 |
| 47 |  Laos |
East Asia & Pacific | 129,000 | 2020 |
| 48 |  Romania |
Europe & Central Asia | 128,000 | 2020 |
| 49 |  Angola |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 117,000 | 2020 |
| 50 |  Jordan |
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 116,000 | 2020 |
| 51 |  Chile |
Latin America & Caribbean | 114,000 | 2020 |
| 52 |  Nepal |
South Asia | 112,000 | 2020 |
| 53 |  Argentina |
Latin America & Caribbean | 103,000 | 2020 |
| 54 |  South Africa |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 89,000 | 2020 |
| 55 |  Azerbaijan |
Europe & Central Asia | 82,000 | 2020 |
| 56 |  Lebanon |
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 80,000 | 2020 |
| 57 |  Cuba |
Latin America & Caribbean | 76,000 | 2020 |
| 58 |  Canada |
North America | 72,000 | 2020 |
| 59 |  Bolivia |
Latin America & Caribbean | 71,000 | 2020 |
| 59 |  Dominican Republic |
Latin America & Caribbean | 71,000 | 2020 |
| 59 |  Kazakhstan |
Europe & Central Asia | 71,000 | 2020 |
| 62 |  Uzbekistan |
Europe & Central Asia | 68,000 | 2020 |
| 63 |  United Arab Emirates |
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 63,000 | 2020 |
| 64 |  Australia |
East Asia & Pacific | 60,000 | 2020 |
| 65 |  Singapore |
East Asia & Pacific | 59,000 | 2020 |
| 66 |  Turkmenistan |
Europe & Central Asia | 57,000 | 2020 |
| 67 |  South Sudan |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 53,000 | 2020 |
| 68 |  Portugal |
Europe & Central Asia | 52,000 | 2020 |
| 69 |  Zimbabwe |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 51,000 | 2020 |
| 70 |  Tunisia |
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 48,000 | 2020 |
| 71 |  Armenia |
Europe & Central Asia | 47,000 | 2020 |
| 71 |  Oman |
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 47,000 | 2020 |
| 73 |  Hungary |
Europe & Central Asia | 46,000 | 2020 |
| 73 |  Uganda |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 46,000 | 2020 |
| 75 |  Chad |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 45,000 | 2020 |
| 76 |  Guatemala |
Latin America & Caribbean | 43,000 | 2020 |
| 77 |  Ecuador |
Latin America & Caribbean | 42,000 | 2020 |
| 77 |  El Salvador |
Latin America & Caribbean | 42,000 | 2020 |
| 79 |  Mali |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 41,000 | 2020 |
| 79 |  Netherlands |
Europe & Central Asia | 41,000 | 2020 |
| 81 |  Yemen |
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 40,000 | 2020 |
| 82 |  Bulgaria |
Europe & Central Asia | 37,000 | 2020 |
| 82 |  Lithuania |
Europe & Central Asia | 37,000 | 2020 |
| 84 |  Rwanda |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 35,000 | 2020 |
| 85 |  Cameroon |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 34,000 | 2020 |
| 86 |  Serbia |
Europe & Central Asia | 32,000 | 2020 |
| 87 |  Burundi |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 31,000 | 2020 |
| 88 |  Paraguay |
Latin America & Caribbean | 29,000 | 2020 |
| 89 |  Panama |
Latin America & Caribbean | 28,000 | 2020 |
| 89 |  Tanzania |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 28,000 | 2020 |
| 91 |  Czechia |
Europe & Central Asia | 27,000 | 2020 |
| 91 |  Côte d'Ivoire |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 27,000 | 2020 |
| 93 |  Georgia |
Europe & Central Asia | 26,000 | 2020 |
| 94 |  Kuwait |
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 25,000 | 2020 |
| 94 |  Norway |
Europe & Central Asia | 25,000 | 2020 |
| 96 |  Belgium |
Europe & Central Asia | 24,000 | 2020 |
| 96 |  Kenya |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 24,000 | 2020 |
| 98 |  Austria |
Europe & Central Asia | 23,000 | 2020 |
| 98 |  Honduras |
Latin America & Caribbean | 23,000 | 2020 |
| 100 |  Finland |
Europe & Central Asia | 22,000 | 2020 |
| 100 |  Madagascar |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 22,000 | 2020 |
| 100 |  Qatar |
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 22,000 | 2020 |
| 100 |  Uruguay |
Latin America & Caribbean | 22,000 | 2020 |
| 104 |  Kyrgyzstan |
Europe & Central Asia | 21,000 | 2020 |
| 104 |  Mauritania |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 21,000 | 2020 |
| 106 |  Croatia |
Europe & Central Asia | 20,000 | 2020 |
| 106 |  Switzerland |
Europe & Central Asia | 20,000 | 2020 |
| 108 |  Bahrain |
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 19,000 | 2020 |
| 108 |  Senegal |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 19,000 | 2020 |
| 110 |  Mongolia |
East Asia & Pacific | 18,000 | 2020 |
| 110 |  Slovakia |
Europe & Central Asia | 18,000 | 2020 |
| 112 |  Tajikistan |
Europe & Central Asia | 17,000 | 2020 |
| 113 |  Ghana |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 16,000 | 2020 |
| 113 |  Namibia |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 16,000 | 2020 |
| 113 |  North Macedonia |
Europe & Central Asia | 16,000 | 2020 |
| 113 |  Zambia |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 16,000 | 2020 |
| 117 |  Denmark |
Europe & Central Asia | 15,000 | 2020 |
| 117 |  Malawi |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 15,000 | 2020 |
| 117 |  Sweden |
Europe & Central Asia | 15,000 | 2020 |
| 120 |  Somalia, Fed. Rep. |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 14,000 | 2020 |
| 121 |  Cyprus |
Europe & Central Asia | 13,000 | 2020 |
| 121 |  Djibouti |
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 13,000 | 2020 |
| 121 |  Guinea |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 13,000 | 2020 |
| 124 |  Benin |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 12,000 | 2020 |
| 124 |  Congo |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 12,000 | 2020 |
| 124 |  Montenegro |
Europe & Central Asia | 12,000 | 2020 |
| 124 |  Nicaragua |
Latin America & Caribbean | 12,000 | 2020 |
| 128 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Europe & Central Asia | 11,000 | 2020 |
| 128 |  Burkina Faso |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 11,000 | 2020 |
| 128 |  Mozambique |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 11,000 | 2020 |
| 131 |  Central African Republic |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 10,000 | 2020 |
| 131 |  Costa Rica |
Latin America & Caribbean | 10,000 | 2020 |
| 131 |  New Zealand |
East Asia & Pacific | 10,000 | 2020 |
| 131 |  Niger |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 10,000 | 2020 |
| 131 |  Togo |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 10,000 | 2020 |
| 136 |  Botswana |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 9,000 | 2020 |
| 136 |  Ireland |
Europe & Central Asia | 9,000 | 2020 |
| 136 |  Latvia |
Europe & Central Asia | 9,000 | 2020 |
| 136 |  Sierra Leone |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 9,000 | 2020 |
| 140 |  Albania |
Europe & Central Asia | 8,000 | 2020 |
| 140 |  Brunei |
East Asia & Pacific | 8,000 | 2020 |
| 142 |  Estonia |
Europe & Central Asia | 7,000 | 2020 |
| 142 |  Gabon |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 7,000 | 2020 |
| 142 |  Slovenia |
Europe & Central Asia | 7,000 | 2020 |
| 145 |  Jamaica |
Latin America & Caribbean | 6,000 | 2020 |
| 145 |  Moldova |
Europe & Central Asia | 6,000 | 2020 |
| 147 |  Trinidad and Tobago |
Latin America & Caribbean | 5,000 | 2020 |
| 148 |  Fiji |
East Asia & Pacific | 4,000 | 2020 |
| 148 |  Gambia |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 4,000 | 2020 |
| 148 |  Guinea-Bissau |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 4,000 | 2020 |
| 148 |  Papua New Guinea |
East Asia & Pacific | 4,000 | 2020 |
| 152 |  Guyana |
Latin America & Caribbean | 3,000 | 2020 |
| 152 |  Mauritius |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 3,000 | 2020 |
| 154 |  Bahamas |
Latin America & Caribbean | 2,000 | 2020 |
| 154 |  Belize |
Latin America & Caribbean | 2,000 | 2020 |
| 154 |  Lesotho |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 2,000 | 2020 |
| 154 |  Liberia |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 2,000 | 2020 |
| 154 |  Malta |
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 2,000 | 2020 |
| 154 |  Suriname |
Latin America & Caribbean | 2,000 | 2020 |
| 154 |  Timor-Leste |
East Asia & Pacific | 2,000 | 2020 |
| 161 |  Barbados |
Latin America & Caribbean | 1,000 | 2020 |
| 161 |  Cabo Verde |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 1,000 | 2020 |
| 161 |  Equatorial Guinea |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 1,000 | 2020 |
| 161 |  Haiti |
Latin America & Caribbean | 1,000 | 2020 |
| 161 |  Luxembourg |
Europe & Central Asia | 1,000 | 2020 |
| 166 |  Antigua and Barbuda |
Latin America & Caribbean | 0 | 2020 |
| 166 |  Iceland |
Europe & Central Asia | 0 | 2020 |
| 166 |  Libya |
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 0 | 2020 |
| 166 |  Palestine |
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 0 | 2020 |
| 166 |  Seychelles |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 0 | 2020 |
| — |  Bhutan |
South Asia | 6,000 | 2000 |
| — |  Eswatini |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 3,000 | 1999 |
| — |  Maldives |
South Asia | 5,000 | 2000 |
| — |  São Tomé and Príncipe |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 1,000 | 1999 |
Latest value per country. Ranked: countries with data from the last 5 years of the series; older values are listed below without a rank. 170 ranked.