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.
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.
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
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
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
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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

Based on information gathered by the ISS (International Institute for Strategic Studies)

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