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The largest militaries, 1990 to 2020

India has the largest armed forces in the 2020 data at about 3.07 million personnel, ahead of China at 2.54 million. China led in 1990 with 3.5 million.

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What the data shows

  • In 2020, India ranks #1 with 3,068K, ahead of China (2,535K) and Korea, Dem. People's Rep. (1,469K).
  • Back in 1990, China was #1 with 3,500K.
  • The top spot changed hands once: India in 2016.
  • Biggest climber: Egypt, from #12 in 1990 to #7 in 2020.
  • India grew 2.4× between 1990 and 2020.
  • Russia wasn't on the board in 1990 but is in the top 5 by 2020.

About this chart

In 1990 China had the largest armed forces by a wide margin, with about 3.5 million personnel, ahead of the United States at 2.18 million, Iraq at 1.39 million, India at 1.26 million and North Korea at 1.2 million. By 2020, India is first at about 3.07 million, and China has fallen to 2.54 million. North Korea (1.47 million), Russia (1.45 million) and the United States (1.4 million) come next.

The figures are armed forces personnel from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, published through the World Bank, and they count active military staff rather than reserves. Pakistan (943 thousand), Egypt (836 thousand), Brazil (762 thousand), Indonesia (676 thousand) and Iran (650 thousand) complete the top ten. The most recent year in the series is 2020, so the chart does not reflect later changes in force size.

The data

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), armed forces personnel, thousands (IISS). Retrieved November 4, 2026.

The largest militaries, Armed forces personnel, thousands, 1990–2020
Date🇮🇳 India🇨🇳 China🇰🇵 Korea, Dem. People's Rep.🇷🇺 Russia🇺🇸 United States🇵🇰 Pakistan🇪🇬 Egypt🇧🇷 Brazil🇮🇩 Indonesia🇮🇷 Iran🇰🇷 South Korea🇻🇳 Vietnam🇹🇷 Türkiye🇮🇶 Iraq🇫🇷 France
19901,260K3,500K1,200K2,180K550K434K295K283K440K650K1,050K769K1,390K550K
19911,270K3,200K1,200K2,120K565K434K295K278K465K750K1,040K804K475K542K
19921,270K3,160K1,200K1,900K1,920K580K424K296K283K528K750K857K704K407K522K
19931,270K3,030K1,100K1,500K1,820K580K424K296K271K528K750K857K686K407K506K
19941,270K2,930K1,100K1,400K1,720K580K430K296K280K528K750K700K811K425K506K
19952,150K4,130K1,243K1,800K1,636K846K610K681K460K763K641K622K690K407K502K
19962,223K4,135K1,169K1,622K1,572K835K672K681K485K863K668K622K707K432K491K
19972,233K3,640K1,244K1,823K1,533K834K680K700K484K868K676K557K821K443K473K
19982,265K3,820K1,244K1,702K1,594K834K680K699K499K820K676K524K821K479K452K
19992,263K3,820K1,244K1,482K1,575K834K680K677K499K786K676K524K841K479K412K
20002,372K3,910K1,244K1,427K1,455K900K678K673K492K753K688K524K828K479K389K
20012,353K3,810K1,271K1,386K1,421K908K768K673K492K553K688K524K665K467K374K
20022,388K3,770K1,271K1,397K1,467K909K773K673K492K560K690K524K665K432K362K
20032,415K3,750K1,271K1,370K1,480K909K780K673K497K580K690K524K665K432K360K
20042,617K3,755K1,295K1,452K1,473K921K798K687K582K460K696K510K616K179K358K
20053,047K3,755K1,295K1,452K1,546K921K799K673K582K585K693K495K617K227K359K
20062,589K3,605K1,295K1,446K1,498K923K866K754K582K585K692K495K612K495K354K
20072,576K2,885K1,295K1,476K1,555K921K866K721K582K563K692K495K612K362K353K
20082,582K2,885K1,295K1,476K1,540K921K866K721K582K563K692K495K613K577K353K
20092,626K2,945K1,379K1,495K1,564K921K866K713K582K563K660K495K613K659K342K
20102,626K2,945K1,379K1,430K1,569K946K836K713K582K563K660K522K613K802K342K
20112,647K2,945K1,379K1,364K1,520K946K836K713K676K563K660K522K613K802K332K
20122,729K2,993K1,379K1,364K1,492K948K836K713K676K563K660K522K613K802K326K
20132,750K2,993K1,379K1,260K1,433K948K836K713K676K563K660K522K613K178K318K
20142,750K2,993K1,379K1,287K1,381K926K836K730K676K563K632K522K613K209K312K
20152,799K2,843K1,379K1,490K1,347K936K836K730K676K563K634K522K512K209K306K
20162,981K2,695K1,469K1,454K1,348K936K836K730K676K563K634K522K512K209K306K
20173,031K2,695K1,469K1,454K1,359K936K836K730K676K563K634K522K512K209K307K
20183,026K2,695K1,469K1,454K1,380K945K836K762K676K650K608K522K512K336K305K
20193,045K2,535K1,469K1,454K1,388K943K836K762K676K650K613K522K512K341K304K
20203,068K2,535K1,469K1,454K1,395K943K836K762K676K650K569K522K512K459K304K

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Frequently asked questions

Which country has the largest military?

India has the largest armed forces in this dataset, with about 3.07 million personnel in 2020. China is second at 2.54 million and North Korea third at 1.47 million.

How big was China's military in 1990?

China's armed forces numbered about 3.5 million in 1990, the largest in the world that year. By 2020 the figure was 2.54 million, which placed China second behind India.

Does this count reserves or military spending?

No. It measures armed forces personnel, meaning people serving in the military, using IISS data via the World Bank. It is not a measure of spending or equipment, and reserve forces are not included.

Where does this data come from?

World Bank, World Development Indicators (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), armed forces personnel, thousands (IISS). Retrieved November 4, 2026. You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.

Can I turn this chart into a video?

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