bar chart showing the largest armies in the world by country

The Largest Armies in the World 2025

Active-duty headcounts offer the clearest single metric of military heft because these soldiers are permanently mobilised, continuously trained, and thus instantly deployable. Current global tallies, as of 2025, show a steep hierarchy. China's People's Liberation Army tops the table at about 2.04 million personnel, followed by India's 1.48 million and the United States' 1.32 million. North Korea, despite its small economy, sustains 1.28 million regulars, while Russia maintains roughly 1.13 million. The next tier, Pakistan, Iran, Ethiopia, South Korea, and Vietnam, ranges between 0.50 million and 0.66 million troops. These figures exclude reservists and paramilitary forces to isolate immediately available combat power. They also mask qualitative factors like logistics, technology, and doctrine, that ultimately convert manpower into coercive capability; nonetheless, sheer scale shapes strategic options, from deterrence signalling to multi-front endurance. Below are the 10 largest armies in the world.

The 10 Largest Armies In The World

Rank	Country	Active military	Reserve military	Paramilitary	Total
1	China	2,035,000	510,000	500,000	3,045,000
2	India	1,475,750	1,155,000	1,616,050	4,246,800
3	United States	1,315,600	797,200	0	2,112,800
4	North Korea	1,280,000	600,000	5,700,000	7,580,000
5	Russia	1,134,000	1,500,000	569,000	3,203,000
6	Ukraine	730,000	0	260,000	990,000
7	Pakistan	660,000	550,000	291,000	1,501,000
8	Iran	610,000	350,000	40,000	1,000,000
9	Ethiopia	503,000	0	0	503,000
10	South Korea	500,000	3,100,000	3,013,500	6,613,500

Jump to the full list of the armies of the world ranked by size

1. China - 2,035,000

A platoon of Chinese soldiers with the Chinese flag. Image credit SemikArt via Shutterstock

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the 2.0-million-strong military of the Chinese Communist Party and the People's Republic of China, organised into four services, Ground, Navy, Air and Rocket, and four specialised arms for space, cyber, information support, and joint logistics. Commanded by the Central Military Commission, chaired by Xi Jinping, its mission prioritises the defence of party rule, national sovereignty, and rapid power projection under an "active defence" doctrine. Five theatre commands integrate joint operations, while a hybrid system of conscription and volunteers supplies manpower; women and ethnic minorities serve across combat and technical roles. China's 2024 defence budget reached US$314 billion (1.7% of GDP), funding intensive modernisation from hypersonic missiles and blue-water carrier groups to advanced ISR satellites, positioning the PLA as a fast-rising global military power. Combat operations last occurred in 1979.

2. India - 1,475,750

Indian armed forces are marching with light machine guns for India's republic day celebration. — Indian armed forces are marching with light machine guns for India's Republic Day celebration. Image credit Rudra Narayan Mitra via Shutterstock

The Indian Army (IA) is the land-combat branch and core of India's armed forces, fielding roughly 1.48 million active-duty soldiers and about 0.96 million reservists, making it the world's second-largest standing army and the biggest all-volunteer force. Headquartered in New Delhi and commanded by the Chief of the Army Staff under the civilian President, it is organised into seven operational commands and a training command, with 40 divisions grouped under 14 corps. The IA's mission spans territorial defence, internal security, humanitarian relief, and extensive UN peacekeeping. Ongoing modernisation programmes, F-INSAS infantry kits, T-90S and indigenously built Arjun tanks, Prachand attack helicopters, Pinaka rockets and network-centric doctrines, aim to enhance mobility, lethality and joint interoperability, particularly along the disputed borders with China and Pakistan. Recent reforms add integrated theatre commands and light-armour brigades for mountain warfare.

3. United States - 1,315,600

US soldiers giving a salute. Image credit Bumble Dee via Shutterstock

The United States Army, tracing its lineage to the Continental Army of 1775, fields about 1.3 million active personnel, the world's fourth-largest land force. Headquartered at the Pentagon and directed by a civilian secretary, it operates under the Department of Defense to deliver prompt, sustained land dominance across the full spectrum of conflict. Six regionally aligned combatant commands, 11 active divisions, elite Special Operations units, and a 4,400-aircraft fleet sustain a global posture from Korea and Europe to the Middle East. Post-2001 campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq drove major reforms; current modernization priorities, long-range fires, next-generation armored vehicles, network warfare, air-missile defense, and soldier lethality aim to preserve overmatch against near-peer competitors into the 2030s future.

4. North Korea - 1,280,000

North Korean soldier at the military parade in Pyongyang. Image credit Astrelok via Shutterstock

North Korea's Korean People's Army (KPA) is the world's fifth-largest standing force, fielding roughly 1.28 million active troops, 600,000 reservists, and several million paramilitary personnel. Founded in 1932 as an anti-Japanese guerrilla force and formalised in 1948, the KPA is the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea and is commanded by Kim Jong Un through the Central Military Commission and State Affairs Commission. It comprises five branches: Ground Force, Navy, Air and Anti-Air Force, Strategic Missile Force, and Special Operations Forces. Universal conscription drafts men for ten years and women to age 23, sustaining a militarised society that allocates an estimated $4 billion, about a quarter of GDP, to defence. Despite ageing equipment, the KPA offsets qualitative gaps with extensive artillery, the world's largest special-forces corps, ballistic missiles, chemical stockpiles, and an expanding nuclear arsenal today.

5. Russia - 1,134,000

The Russian army in red berets and green uniforms, Moscow, Russia. Image credit Anton Brehov via Shutterstock

Russia's Armed Forces date to 1721, re-established after the USSR's collapse in 1992. Under President-Supreme Commander Vladimir Putin, they field around 1.13 million active troops and some 1.5 million reservists, making Russia the world's fourth-largest standing army. Conscription of men aged 18-27 lasts one year, though the force mixes draftees with contract volunteers and plans further expansion. The military is organised into three main services, Ground Forces, Navy, and Aerospace Forces, plus independent Strategic Rocket and Airborne Forces and a Special Operations Command. With a 2024 budget of about $149 billion USD (7 percent of GDP), Russia maintains the planet's biggest nuclear arsenal, a large ballistic-missile-submarine fleet, and strategic bombers. Modernisation has delivered new Yars ICBMs, Su-57 fighters and Borei submarines, yet combat in Ukraine exposed corruption, logistics gaps and high casualty rates, and strains on industrial output.

6. Ukraine - 730,000

Ukranian Army doing their march during the 30th Anniversary Independence Day Parade, Kyiv, via Abdullah Sengul / Shutterstock.com

Ukraine's Armed Forces (ZSU) were re-established in 1991 and have expanded massively since Russia's 2014 aggression. Today, about 730,000 active troops give Ukraine the world's sixth-largest military; martial-law mobilisations pushed wartime strength past 700,000. Eight branches, Ground Forces, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Air-Assault, Special Operations, Territorial Defence and the new Unmanned Systems Force, operate a rapidly westernising arsenal funded by a 2024 defence budget of US $64.8 billion (37% of GDP) plus more than US $120 billion in foreign aid. Combat experience in Donbas and the full-scale 2022 Russian invasion has made the ZSU one of Europe's most battle-hardened armies, fielding a huge drone fleet, precision Western artillery, and captured Russian armour. Women serve in frontline roles, and NATO-standard training, logistics, and command systems are being introduced at speed under emergency conditions.

7. Pakistan - 660,000

Pakistani military officials marching. Image credit Asianet-Pakistan via Shutterstock

Pakistan's Army, established at independence in 1947, is the land-warfare component of the country's armed forces. With roughly 660,000 active soldiers, 550,000 reservists, and a 185,000-strong National Guard, it ranks among the world's ten largest standing armies. Headquartered at Rawalpindi, the all-volunteer force fields nine combat corps and a strategic missile command, operates Chinese-built Al-Khalid main-battle tanks, AH-1 Cobra gunships, and an expanding indigenous defence industry, and oversees the elite Special Service Group. It has fought four wars with India, guarded Saudi borders, battled insurgencies in Balochistan and along the Afghan frontier, and is one of the UN's leading peacekeepers. The Army wields significant political influence, having ruled Pakistan for almost half its history, yet also spearheads humanitarian relief and nationwide infrastructure projects, and continues modernising through Chinese defence cooperation.

8. Iran - 610,000

A platoon of soldiers of the Iranian army with the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Image credit SemikArt via Shutterstock

Iran fields the Middle East's biggest military, with about 610,000 active troops and a 350,000-strong reserve drawn by two-year conscription. Commanded ultimately by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, its unique dual structure pairs the regular Artesh with the politically powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, while the national police adds internal security muscle. Sanctions forced Tehran to replace aging U.S. and Soviet kit with a vigorous home-grown industry that now turns out ballistic and cruise missiles, Shahed combat drones, Karrar tanks, Ghadir submarines and layered air-defence systems, and exports weapons as far afield as Russia and Venezuela. An annual defence budget of roughly US$16 billion (2.5% of GDP) supports extensive cyberwarfare units and a missile force able to strike 2,000 km. Iranian forces and proxies are currently active in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and against Israel.

9. Ethiopia - 503,000

Ethiopian Army Soldiers Marching Passed the Dignitaries at the 20th World Aids Day Event

Ethiopia fields sub-Saharan Africa's third-largest military. The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) numbers about 503,000 active soldiers and a militia network, organised into ten regional commands under Field Marshal Birhanu Jula and ultimately Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. It comprises the army, the air force, and a nascent navy headquarters in Bahir Dar, supported by a defence-industry sector and foreign suppliers such as China, Russia, and Turkey. Annual spending is roughly US$1.8 billion, 0.3% of GDP, but long service traditions give the force combat experience. Born in the early 1900s Imperial army, the ENDF repelled Italian colonialism at Adwa, fought in Korea, Congo, the Ogaden and Eritrean wars, and has provided UN and AU peacekeepers. Since 2020, it has led controversial operations in Tigray while containing Islamist threats along the Somali frontier region.

10. South Korea - 500,000

South Korean soldiers march during the country's 70th anniversary of independence from Japanese colonization, via Shi_Kaiming / Shutterstock.com

South Korea's Republic of Korea Army (ROKA) fields 365,000 active soldiers, the world's eighth-largest land force, backed by universal 18-month conscription and 3.1 million reservists. Created in 1948 from US-trained constabulary units, it fought the Korean War, sent 320,000 troops to Vietnam, and has deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and U.N. peacekeeping missions. ROKA is organised under the Ground Operations Command with six corps and 34 divisions tailored for the peninsula's mountainous terrain and the 950,000-strong North Korean ground force. Modernisation since the 1990s has produced the indigenous K2 Black Panther main battle tank, K9 self-propelled howitzer, K21 infantry fighting vehicle, "Pegasus" SAM, and network-centric "Warrior Platform" kit, while joint plans with the U.S. envisage full operational control transfer by 2025. The headquarters are in Gyeryong, where President Lee Jae-Myung is the commander-in-chief of the force.

NATO Army - 3.5 million

Patch flag and symbol of NATO force integration unit in Lithuania. Image credit Michele Ursi via Shutterstock

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) - founded in 1949 and now counting 32 European and North American members - is not one national army but the world's largest integrated force, pooling about 3.44 million men and women under a common command. Member states span 25 million km² and 973 million people; together they supply roughly 55% of global defence spending, $1.47 trillion USD in 2024 (the United States and Germany each finance 16% of NATO's shared budgets, while every nation funds and owns its own troops). The alliance's political seat is in Brussels; Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) directs operations from Mons, Belgium, through two strategic commands: Allied Command Operations and Allied Command Transformation.

NATO's Article 5 pledge - an attack on one is an attack on all - has been invoked once, after 11 September 2001. Since the Cold War, the bloc has fielded major missions in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, the Gulf of Aden, and, since Russia's 2014 seizure of Crimea and its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, a reinforced Forward Presence of multinational battlegroups along its eastern frontier. Members have committed to spending at least 2% of GDP on defence; a record 23 nations are expected to meet that mark in 2024.

Enlargement, most recently Sweden in 2024, has carried NATO from its 12 founders to 32 members, while programmes such as Partnership for Peace and dozens of bilateral agreements extend training and interoperability to partners on every continent, giving the alliance unparalleled global reach despite being a strictly Euro-Atlantic treaty.

The Armies Of The World Ranked By Size

Rank	Country	Active military	Reserve military	Paramilitary	Total
1	China	2,035,000	510,000	500,000	3,045,000
2	India	1,475,750	1,155,000	1,616,050	4,246,800
3	United States	1,315,600	797,200	0	2,112,800
4	North Korea	1,280,000	600,000	5,700,000	7,580,000
5	Russia	1,134,000	1,500,000	569,000	3,203,000
6	Ukraine	730,000	0	260,000	990,000
7	Pakistan	660,000	550,000	291,000	1,501,000
8	Iran	610,000	350,000	40,000	1,000,000
9	Ethiopia	503,000	0	0	503,000
10	South Korea	500,000	3,100,000	3,013,500	6,613,500
11	Vietnam	450,000	5,000,000	40,000	5,490,000
12	Egypt	438,500	479,000	397,000	1,314,500
13	Indonesia	404,500	400,000	290,250	1,094,750
14	Brazil	374,500	1,415,000	395,000	2,184,500
15	Thailand	360,850	200,000	138,700	699,550
16	Turkey	355,200	378,700	160,800	894,700
17	Eritrea	301,750	0	0	301,750
18	Mexico	287,000	81,500	136,900	505,400
19	Colombia	269,000	34,950	165,050	469,000
20	Sri Lanka	262,500	5,500	94,050	362,050
21	Saudi Arabia	257,000	0	24,500	281,500
22	Japan	247,150	55,900	14,800	317,850
23	France	202,000	38,500	95,100	335,600
24	Morocco	195,800	150,000	50,000	395,800
25	Iraq	193,000	0	266,000	459,000
26	Germany	179,850	34,100	0	213,950
27	Afghanistan	172,000	0	0	172,000
28	Bangladesh	171,250	0	63,900	235,150
29	Israel	169,500	465,000	8,000	642,500
30	Taiwan	169,000	1,657,000	11,800	1,837,800
31	Poland	164,100	37,500	14,300	215,900
32	Italy	161,850	14,500	178,600	354,950
33	Philippines	146,250	131,000	80,700	357,950
34	Nigeria	143,000	0	80,000	223,000
35	United Kingdom	141,100	70,450	0	211,550
36	Algeria	139,000	150,000	187,200	476,200
37	Myanmar	134,000	0	70,000	204,000
38	Greece	132,000	289,000	7,400	428,400
39	Democratic Republic of the Congo	128,350	0	0	128,350
40	Cambodia	124,300	0	67,000	191,300
41	Venezuela	123,000	8,000	220,000	351,000
42	Spain	122,200	13,800	87,450	223,450
43	Malaysia	113,000	51,600	267,200	431,800
44	Angola	107,000	0	10,000	117,000
45	Sudan	104,300	0	60,000	164,300
46	Jordan	100,500	65,000	15,000	180,500
47	Nepal	96,600	0	15,000	111,600
48	South Sudan	90,000	0	0	90,000
49	Peru	81,000	188,000	77,000	346,000
50	Argentina	72,100	0	31,250	103,350
51	Romania	69,900	55,000	57,000	181,900
52	South Africa	69,200	15,050	0	84,250
53	Chile	68,500	19,100	44,700	132,300
54	Azerbaijan	68,200	300,000	15,000	383,200
55	United Arab Emirates	63,000	0	0	63,000
56	Canada	62,300	29,100	5,800	97,200
57	Lebanon	60,000	0	20,000	80,000
58	Australia	58,540	21,450	0	79,990
59	Dominican Republic	56,800	0	15,000	71,800
60	Singapore	51,000	252,500	7,400	310,900
61	Cuba	49,000	39,000	26,500	114,500
62	Belarus	48,600	289,500	110,000	448,100
63	Uzbekistan	48,000	0	20,000	68,000
64	Uganda	45,000	10,000	1,400	56,400
65	Armenia	42,900	210,000	4,300	257,200
66	Oman	42,600	0	4,400	47,000
67	Yemen	40,000	0	0	40,000
68	Ecuador	39,600	118,000	500	158,100
69	Niger	39,100	0	48,000	87,100
70	Kazakhstan	39,000	0	31,500	70,500
71	Bulgaria	36,950	3,000	0	39,950
72	Turkmenistan	36,500	0	20,000	56,500
73	Tunisia	35,800	0	12,000	47,800
74	Bolivia	34,100	0	37,100	71,200
75	Netherlands	33,650	6,350	6,800	46,800
76	Chad	33,250	0	11,900	45,150
77	Rwanda	33,000	0	2,000	35,000
78	Hungary	32,150	20,000	0	52,150
79	Burundi	30,050	0	1,000	31,050
80	Laos	29,100	0	100,000	129,100
81	Zimbabwe	29,000	0	21,800	50,800
82	Serbia	28,150	50,150	3,700	82,000
83	Côte d'Ivoire	27,400	0	0	27,400
84	Tanzania	27,000	80,000	1,400	108,400
85	Czech Republic	26,600	0	0	26,600
86	Portugal	26,050	23,500	22,820	72,370
87	Cameroon	25,400	0	9,000	34,400
88	Norway	25,400	40,000	0	65,400
89	Kenya	24,100	0	5,000	29,100
90	Finland	23,850	233,000	12,000	268,850
91	Belgium	23,500	5,900	0	29,400
92	Austria	22,200	109,200	0	131,400
93	Switzerland	21,300	196,450	0	217,750
94	Uruguay	21,100	0	1,400	22,500
95	Mali	21,000	0	20,000	41,000
96	Georgia	20,650	0	5,400	26,050
97	Ghana	19,000	0	0	19,000
98	Guatemala	18,050	63,850	25,000	106,900
99	Kuwait	17,500	23,700	7,100	48,300
100	Zambia	17,100	3,000	1,400	21,500
101	Croatia	16,800	2,100	0	18,900
102	Qatar	16,500	0	5,000	21,500
103	Lithuania	16,100	12,950	18,400	47,450
104	Mauritania	15,850	0	5,000	20,850
105	Slovakia	15,850	0	0	15,850
106	Honduras	14,950	60,000	8,000	82,950
107	Sweden	14,850	21,500	21,500	57,850
108	Paraguay	13,950	164,500	14,800	193,250
109	Somalia	13,900	0	0	13,900
110	Togo	13,750	0	5,000	18,750
111	Senegal	13,600	0	5,000	18,600
112	Madagascar	13,500	0	8,100	21,600
113	Denmark	13,100	44,200	0	57,300
114	Benin	12,300	0	4,800	17,100
115	Cyprus	12,000	50,000	250	62,250
116	Nicaragua	12,000	0	0	12,000
117	Namibia	11,600	0	6,000	17,600
118	Mozambique	11,200	0	0	11,200
119	Kyrgyzstan	10,900	0	9,500	20,400
120	Malawi	10,700	0	4,200	14,900
121	Bosnia and Herzegovina	10,650	6,000	0	16,650
122	Republic of the Congo	10,000	0	3,500	13,500
123	Guinea	9,700	0	2,600	12,300
124	Mongolia	9,700	137,000	7,500	154,200
125	Ireland	9,500	4,050	0	13,550
126	Central African Republic	9,150	0	1,000	10,150
127	Botswana	9,000	0	0	9,000
128	Tajikistan	8,800	20,000	7,500	36,300
129	New Zealand	8,700	3,270	0	11,970
130	Sierra Leone	8,500	0	0	8,500
131	Djibouti	8,450	0	4,650	13,100
132	Bahrain	8,200	0	11,260	19,460
133	North Macedonia	8,000	4,850	7,600	20,450
134	Albania	7,500	0	0	7,500
135	Brunei	7,200	700	450	8,350
136	Estonia	7,100	41,200	21,200	69,500
137	Burkina Faso	7,000	0	4,450	11,450
138	Latvia	6,600	16,000	0	22,600
139	Slovenia	6,200	950	0	7,150
140	Jamaica	5,950	2,580	0	8,530
141	Moldova	5,150	58,000	900	64,050
142	Gabon	4,700	0	2,000	6,700
143	Guinea-Bissau	4,450	0	0	4,450
144	Gambia	4,100	0	0	4,100
145	Trinidad and Tobago	4,050	0	0	4,050
146	Fiji	4,040	6,000	0	10,040
147	Maldives	4,000	0	0	4,000
148	Papua New Guinea	4,000	0	0	4,000
149	Guyana	3,400	670	0	4,070
150	Kosovo	3,000	0	0	3,000
151	Montenegro	2,885	2,800	4,100	9,785
152	El Salvador	2,600	9,900	2,600	15,100
153	Timor-Leste	2,250	0	0	2,250
154	Liberia	2,010	0	0	2,010
155	Lesotho	2,000	0	0	2,000
156	Suriname	1,840	0	0	1,840
157	Equatorial Guinea	1,750	0	0	1,750
158	Malta	1,700	260	0	1,960
159	Bahamas	1,500	0	0	1,500
160	Belize	1,500	700	150	2,350
161	Cape Verde	1,200	0	0	1,200
162	Luxembourg	900	0	600	1,500
163	Haiti	700	0	9,000	9,700
164	Barbados	610	430	0	1,040
165	Seychelles	420	0	0	420
166	Antigua and Barbuda	200	80	0	280
167	Costa Rica	0	0	9,950	9,950
168	Iceland	0	0	250	250
169	Libya	0	0	0	0
170	Mauritius	0	0	2,550	2,550
171	Palestine	0	0	0	0
172	Panama	0	0	27,700	27,700
173	Syria	0	0	0	0