Armed Forces

The Largest Militaries in the World

When it comes to pure manpower, no country in the world comes close to China. According to Global Firepower estimates, the People's Republic currently has roughly 2.19 million active military personnel at its disposal. With far fewer in second and third place are India and the United States with 1.45 and 1.40 million, respectively. North Korea and Russia are the only other countries with more than one million in manpower. Iran, seemingly on the brink of war with the United States throughout the Trump administration (and at various other points in time), is in eighth place, with 525 thousand.

Description

This chart shows the countries with the largest total available active military manpower in 2021.

Download Chart
Premium statistics
Largest armies in the world by active military personnel 2025
Premium statistics
Experience share on military abuse in El Salvador 2024
Premium statistics
PowerIndex of military forces in Europe 2025
Premium statistics
Military power ranking in Africa 2024, by leading countries
Comparison of the military capabilities of NATO and Russia 2025
Latin America: value of military spending 2024, by country

Any more questions?

Get in touch with us quickly and easily.
We are happy to help!

Do you still have questions?

Feel free to contact us anytime using our contact form or visit our FAQ page.

Statista Content & Design

Need infographics, animated videos, presentations, data research or social media charts?

More Information