The 10 Biggest Armed Forces in the World
10. Algeria: 511,000 active
military personnel
Algeria is one of those countries
mentioned in the introduction that has a
low GDP per capita at $5,583 per person
(in the USA it’s $54,609 per capita).
Algeria has been building its armed
forces – the figure stood at just 147,000
not that long ago. The Algerian People’s
National Army is made up of the
country’s army, navy, air force and
territorial air defense force. Algeria’s
large and growing troops have militant
groups and border disagreements to
deal with.
9. Iran: 583,000 active military
personnel
The Armed Forces of the Islamic
Republic of Iran consist of the army,
navy, air force, air defense force and the
Army of the Guardians of the Islamic
Revolution (IRGC, also known as the
Revolutionary Guard). Figures for Iran
are likely to be bigger now, as new
brigades were introduced in 2013, but
the country is not known for publishing
detailed lists of its military capacity (as
proven by the constant cat-and-mouse
game of Iran’s suspected nuclear
weapons program).
8. Egypt: 606,500 active military
personnel
Figures for the Egyptian Armed Forces
fluctuate depending on the source –
hardly surprising considering the
current volatile state of the nation.
Numbers stretched from 468,500 to over
600,000. The branches of Egypt’s armed
forces are the army, navy, air force and
air defense forces. The Egyptian army
alone has around 468,500, hence the
higher estimate which considers the
other branches of the armed forces.
Egypt boasts the largest armed force in
Africa and the Middle East (the Israeli
Defense Force numbers just 176,500 in
comparison).
7. South Korea: 639,000 active
military personnel
The Republic of Korea Armed Forces is
made up of the army, navy and air
force. Being backed up by an enormous
reserve force of 2.9 million means that
South Korea is able to take on just about
any armed conflict in which it might
find itself embroiled. This is necessary
in South Korea, as the constant
threatening rhetoric of North Korea’s
supreme leader Kim Jong-un (and his
father Kim Jong-il before him) is enough
to make any nearby state feel insecure
and nervous. Military service is
mandatory in South Korea.
6. Pakistan: 646,000 active
military personnel
The army, navy, air force and border
force are the branches of the Pakistan
Armed Forces. The figure of 646,000
could be raised significantly by the
amount of personnel in the various
segments of the border force, but as
many of these are considered
paramilitary, they have not been
included. The renowned London-based
International Institute for Strategic
Studies (IISS) suggests that the Pakistan
Army alone could have up to 725,000
active personnel, which would boost the
Asian country up a few places in this
list. However, there are no more details
to support this number, so the lower
figure has been selected as the more
reliable number. Pakistan is a very poor
country; the GDP per capita is just
$1,295, so the country’s huge armed
forces often rely on poorly-paid
volunteers.
5. Russia: 766,055 active military
personnel
Like many countries on this list,
different think-tanks and semi-official
bodies offer up wildly contrasting
figures for the Russian armed force
total. Although numbers over one
million have been suggested for Russia,
arguably the most accurate figure is just
over three-quarters of a million, with an
under-manning issue being a problem
in the vast but relatively sparsely
populated country. The Armed Forces of
the Russian Federation have many
branches: Russian Ground Forces,
Russian Air Force, Russian Navy,
Strategic Missile Troops, Russian
Aerospace Defense Forces and Russian
Airborne Troops.
4. North Korea: 1,120,000 active
military personnel
The total for the Korean People’s Army
(KPA) is unlikely to be 100 percent
accurate due to the notorious difficulty
in extracting information out of the
country. The KPA is formed by the
Korean People’s Army Ground Force, the
Korean People’s Navy, the Korean
People’s Air Force, the Strategic Rocket
Forces and North Korean Special
Operation Force. The US Department of
Defense estimates the ground force
alone has 950,000 personnel, which
means the total figure could well be
considerably higher.
3. India: 1,325,450 active military
personnel
The Indian Armed Forces include the
army, navy, air force and coast guard. It
truly is a force to be reckoned with and
is an indicator of how India has strived
for greater global recognition over the
last few years. With supplies coming
from Russia, the USA, France and Israel,
the Indian Armed Forces are rapidly
modernizing and expanding. Hindered
in the past by old equipment and a lack
of armaments, India’s giant defense
budget of $46.1 billion is incredible
considering the GDP per capita is just
$1,389. The country has placed a lot of
importance, and resources, into making
its armed forces a true representative
strength of the prospective superpower.
2. USA: 1,369,532 active military
personnel
Just beating India for second place are
the United States Armed Forces,
populated by members of the army,
navy, air force, coast guard and Marine
Corps. A recent Department of Defense
report stated the listed figure, although
conflicting numbers go as high as 1.44
million. Either way, this is the second
largest armed force in the world,
operated by the country with the third
largest population. The US Armed Forces
personnel are well-trained and well-
equipped, but they cost their country a
fortune (estimated at $682 billion in
2013). This may be a huge amount, but
the US has a huge GDP to cover it and
actually spends a smaller percentage of
GDP on its armed forces than Saudi
Arabia, Israel or Algeria.
1. China: 2,285,000 active
military personnel
It’s no surprise to find the People’s
Liberation Army at the head of this list.
The PLA incorporates a ground force, a
navy, an air force and the Second
Artillery Corps into its ranks, with some
estimates of its total strength reaching
2.44 million. The majority of this
number is made up of the PLA Ground
Force, with 1.7 million active troops
helping the country project power,
secure its borders, discourage hostile
threats and remind the world that the
People’s Republic of China is no
toothless tiger.
military personnel
Algeria is one of those countries
mentioned in the introduction that has a
low GDP per capita at $5,583 per person
(in the USA it’s $54,609 per capita).
Algeria has been building its armed
forces – the figure stood at just 147,000
not that long ago. The Algerian People’s
National Army is made up of the
country’s army, navy, air force and
territorial air defense force. Algeria’s
large and growing troops have militant
groups and border disagreements to
deal with.
9. Iran: 583,000 active military
personnel
The Armed Forces of the Islamic
Republic of Iran consist of the army,
navy, air force, air defense force and the
Army of the Guardians of the Islamic
Revolution (IRGC, also known as the
Revolutionary Guard). Figures for Iran
are likely to be bigger now, as new
brigades were introduced in 2013, but
the country is not known for publishing
detailed lists of its military capacity (as
proven by the constant cat-and-mouse
game of Iran’s suspected nuclear
weapons program).
8. Egypt: 606,500 active military
personnel
Figures for the Egyptian Armed Forces
fluctuate depending on the source –
hardly surprising considering the
current volatile state of the nation.
Numbers stretched from 468,500 to over
600,000. The branches of Egypt’s armed
forces are the army, navy, air force and
air defense forces. The Egyptian army
alone has around 468,500, hence the
higher estimate which considers the
other branches of the armed forces.
Egypt boasts the largest armed force in
Africa and the Middle East (the Israeli
Defense Force numbers just 176,500 in
comparison).
7. South Korea: 639,000 active
military personnel
The Republic of Korea Armed Forces is
made up of the army, navy and air
force. Being backed up by an enormous
reserve force of 2.9 million means that
South Korea is able to take on just about
any armed conflict in which it might
find itself embroiled. This is necessary
in South Korea, as the constant
threatening rhetoric of North Korea’s
supreme leader Kim Jong-un (and his
father Kim Jong-il before him) is enough
to make any nearby state feel insecure
and nervous. Military service is
mandatory in South Korea.
6. Pakistan: 646,000 active
military personnel
The army, navy, air force and border
force are the branches of the Pakistan
Armed Forces. The figure of 646,000
could be raised significantly by the
amount of personnel in the various
segments of the border force, but as
many of these are considered
paramilitary, they have not been
included. The renowned London-based
International Institute for Strategic
Studies (IISS) suggests that the Pakistan
Army alone could have up to 725,000
active personnel, which would boost the
Asian country up a few places in this
list. However, there are no more details
to support this number, so the lower
figure has been selected as the more
reliable number. Pakistan is a very poor
country; the GDP per capita is just
$1,295, so the country’s huge armed
forces often rely on poorly-paid
volunteers.
5. Russia: 766,055 active military
personnel
Like many countries on this list,
different think-tanks and semi-official
bodies offer up wildly contrasting
figures for the Russian armed force
total. Although numbers over one
million have been suggested for Russia,
arguably the most accurate figure is just
over three-quarters of a million, with an
under-manning issue being a problem
in the vast but relatively sparsely
populated country. The Armed Forces of
the Russian Federation have many
branches: Russian Ground Forces,
Russian Air Force, Russian Navy,
Strategic Missile Troops, Russian
Aerospace Defense Forces and Russian
Airborne Troops.
4. North Korea: 1,120,000 active
military personnel
The total for the Korean People’s Army
(KPA) is unlikely to be 100 percent
accurate due to the notorious difficulty
in extracting information out of the
country. The KPA is formed by the
Korean People’s Army Ground Force, the
Korean People’s Navy, the Korean
People’s Air Force, the Strategic Rocket
Forces and North Korean Special
Operation Force. The US Department of
Defense estimates the ground force
alone has 950,000 personnel, which
means the total figure could well be
considerably higher.
3. India: 1,325,450 active military
personnel
The Indian Armed Forces include the
army, navy, air force and coast guard. It
truly is a force to be reckoned with and
is an indicator of how India has strived
for greater global recognition over the
last few years. With supplies coming
from Russia, the USA, France and Israel,
the Indian Armed Forces are rapidly
modernizing and expanding. Hindered
in the past by old equipment and a lack
of armaments, India’s giant defense
budget of $46.1 billion is incredible
considering the GDP per capita is just
$1,389. The country has placed a lot of
importance, and resources, into making
its armed forces a true representative
strength of the prospective superpower.
2. USA: 1,369,532 active military
personnel
Just beating India for second place are
the United States Armed Forces,
populated by members of the army,
navy, air force, coast guard and Marine
Corps. A recent Department of Defense
report stated the listed figure, although
conflicting numbers go as high as 1.44
million. Either way, this is the second
largest armed force in the world,
operated by the country with the third
largest population. The US Armed Forces
personnel are well-trained and well-
equipped, but they cost their country a
fortune (estimated at $682 billion in
2013). This may be a huge amount, but
the US has a huge GDP to cover it and
actually spends a smaller percentage of
GDP on its armed forces than Saudi
Arabia, Israel or Algeria.
1. China: 2,285,000 active
military personnel
It’s no surprise to find the People’s
Liberation Army at the head of this list.
The PLA incorporates a ground force, a
navy, an air force and the Second
Artillery Corps into its ranks, with some
estimates of its total strength reaching
2.44 million. The majority of this
number is made up of the PLA Ground
Force, with 1.7 million active troops
helping the country project power,
secure its borders, discourage hostile
threats and remind the world that the
People’s Republic of China is no
toothless tiger.
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