List of countries by number of military and paramilitary personnel

This is a list of countries by number of military and paramilitary personnel. It includes any government-sponsored soldiers used to further the domestic and foreign policies of their respective government. The term "country" is used in its most common use, in the sense of state which exercises sovereignty or has limited recognition.

Guide to the list

The list consists of columns that can be sorted by clicking on the appropriate title:

The names of the states, accompanied by their respective national flags.
The number of military personnel on active duty that are currently serving full-time in their military capacity.
The number of military personnel in the reserve forces that are not normally kept under arms, whose role is to be available to mobilize when necessary.
The number of personnel in paramilitary forces: armed units that are not considered part of a nation's formal military forces.
The total number of active, reserve, and paramilitary personnel.
The ratio per thousand inhabitants of total military (active, reserve, and paramilitary).
The ratio per thousand inhabitants of active military only.

As military forces around the world are constantly changing in size, no definitive list can ever be compiled.

All of the 172 countries listed here, especially those with the highest number of total soldiers such as the two Koreas and Vietnam, include a large number of paramilitaries, civilians and policemen in their reserve personnel. Some countries, such as Italy and Japan, have only volunteers in their armed forces. Other countries, such as Mauritius and Panama, have no national armies, but only a paramilitary force.

Tooth-to-tail ratio

The numbers of military personnel listed include both support personnel (supplies, construction, and contracting) and actual combat personnel. For a typical country, the proportion of this total that comprises actual combat forces is about 26%^{[citation needed]} (so, for every soldier there will be around three support personnel). This proportion is referred to as the "tooth-to-tail ratio".

Some countries have a considerably smaller tooth-to-tail ratio: For example, the United States Armed Forces has a tooth-to-tail ratio of 17%, meaning that for every combat unit there are around five support units.^[1]

List by the International Institute for Strategic Studies

According to International Institute for Strategic Studies
Country	Active military	Reserve military	Paramilitary	Total	Per 1,000 capita (total)	Per 1,000 capita (active)
Afghanistan^[2]	250,000	75,000	170,000	495,000	14.2	7.2
Albania^[3]	8,000	0	0	8,000	2.6	2.6
Algeria^[4]	130,000	150,000	187,200	467,200	11.2	3.1
Angola^[5]	107,000	0	10,000	117,000	3.9	3.5
Antigua and Barbuda^[6]	180	80	0	260	2.7	1.9
Argentina^[6]	72,100	0	31,250	103,350	2.3	1.6
Armenia^[7]^{[Note 1]}	44,800	210,000	4,300	259,100	85.3	14.7
Australia^[8]	58,600	30,100	0	88,700	3.8	2.5
Austria^[9]	22,050	125,600	0	147,650	16.8	2.5
Azerbaijan^[10]	126,950	330,000	15,000	471,950	47	12.6
Bahamas^[11]	1,300	0	0	1,300	3.9	3.9
Bahrain^[12]	8,200	0	11,260	19,460	13.5	5.7
Bangladesh^[13]	163,050	0	63,900	226,950	1.4	1
Barbados^[14]	610	430	0	1,040	3.6	2.1
Belarus^[15]	45,350	289,500	110,000	444,850	46.7	4.8
Belgium^[16]	26,300	5,100	0	31,400	2.7	2.3
Belize^[14]	1,500	700	150	2,350	6.1	3.9
Benin^[17]	7,250	0	4,800	12,050	1.1	0.6
Bolivia^[18]	34,100	0	37,100	71,200	6.3	3
Bosnia and Herzegovina^[19]	10,500	0	0	10,500	2.7	2.7
Botswana^[20]	9,000	0	0	9,000	4	4
Brazil^[21]	366,500	1,340,000	395,000	2,101,500	10.1	1.8
Brunei^[22]	7,200	700	450	8,350	18.5	16
Bulgaria^[23]	36,950	3,000	0	39,950	5.7	5.2
Burkina Faso^[24]	11,200	0	250	11,450	0.6	0.6
Burundi^[25]	30,050	0	21,000	51,050	4.3	2.5
Cambodia^[26]	124,300	0	67,000	191,300	11.6	7.6
Cameroon^[27]	25,400	0	9,000	34,400	1.3	1
Canada^[28]	67,400	35,600	4,500	107,500	3	1.9
Cape Verde^[29]	1,200	0	0	1,200	2.1	2.1
Central African Republic^[30]	9,150	0	1,000	10,150	1.8	1.6
Chad^[31]	33,250	0	11,900	45,150	2.9	2.1
Chile^[32]	77,200	40,000	44,700	161,900	9	4.3
People's Republic of China^[33]	2,185,000	1,170,000	660,000	4,015,000	2.9	1.6
Colombia^[34]	293,200	34,950	187,900	516,050	10.7	6.1
Costa Rica^[35]	0	0	9,800	9,800	2	0
Côte d'Ivoire^[36]^{[Note 2]}	27,400	0	0	27,400	1	1
Croatia^[37]	15,200	18,350	3,000	36,550	8.6	3.6
Cuba^[38]^{[Note 3]}	49,000	39,000	1,146,500	1,234,500	110.9	4.4
Cyprus^[39]	15,000	50,000	750	65,750	53.1	12.1
Czech Republic^[40]	21,750	0	0	21,750	2	2
Democratic Republic of the Congo^[41]	134,250	0	0	134,250	1.6	1.6
Denmark^[42]	14,500	44,000	0	58,500	10.1	2.5
Djibouti^[43]	10,450	0	2,650	13,100	14.8	11.8
Dominican Republic^[44]	56,050	0	15,000	71,050	6.9	5.4
East Timor^[45]	2,280	0	0	2,280	1.7	1.7
Ecuador^[46]	40,250	118,000	500	158,750	9.6	2.4
Egypt^[47]	438,500	479,000	397,000	1,314,500	13.2	4.4
El Salvador^[48]	24,500	9,900	17,000	51,400	8.3	4
Equatorial Guinea^[49]^{[Note 4]}	1,450	0	0	1,450	1.8	1.8
Eritrea^[50]	201,750	120,000	0	321,750	53.9	33.8
Estonia^[51]	7,100	17,500	0	24,600	19.8	5.7
Ethiopia^[52]	138,000	0	0	138,000	1.3	1.3
Fiji^[53]	3,500	6,000	0	9,500	10.3	3.8
Finland^[54]	23,800	254,000	14,200	292,000	52.7	4.3
France^[55]	208,750	141,050	30,800	380,600	5.6	3.1
Gabon^[56]	4,700	0	2,000	6,700	3.2	2.2
Gambia^[57]	800	0	0	800	0.4	0.4
Georgia^[58]	20,650	0	5,400	26,050	5.3	4.2
Germany^[59]	183,500	50,050	0	233,550	2.9	2.3
Ghana^[60]	15,500	0	0	15,500	0.6	0.6
Greece^[61]	142,700	221,350	4,000	368,050	34.2	13.3
Guatemala^[62]	18,050	63,850	25,000	106,900	6.4	1.1
Guinea^[63]	9,700	0	2,600	12,300	1	0.8
Guinea-Bissau^[64]	4,450	0	0	4,450	2.4	2.4
Guyana^[65]	3,400	670	0	4,070	5.5	4.6
Haiti^[65]	150	0	50	200	0	0
Honduras^[66]	14,950	60,000	8,000	82,950	9	1.6
Hungary^[67]	27,800	20,000	12,000	59,800	6.1	2.8
Iceland^[68]	0	0	250	250	0.7	0
India^[69]	1,455,550	1,155,000	2,526,950	5,137,500	4	1.1
Indonesia^[70]	395,500	400,000	280,000	1,075,500	4.1	1.5
Iran^[71]^{[Note 5]}	610,000	350,000	40,000	1,000,000	12	7.3
Iraq^[72]	193,000	0	148,000	341,000	8.5	4.8
Ireland^[68]	9,500	4,050	0	13,550	2.7	1.9
Israel^[73]	169,500	465,000	8,000	642,500	76.3	20.1
Italy^[74]^{[Note 6]}	165,500	18,300	175,750	359,550	5.8	2.7
Jamaica^[75]	3,950	980	0	4,930	1.8	1.4
Japan^[76]	247,150	56,000	14,350	317,500	2.5	2
Jordan^[77]	100,500	65,000	15,000	180,500	17.3	9.6
Kazakhstan^[78]	39,000	0	31,500	70,500	3.8	2.1
Kenya^[79]	24,100	0	5,000	29,100	0.6	0.5
Kosovo^[80]	5,000	3,000	1,500	9,500	5	2.6
Kuwait^[81]	17,500	23,700	7,100	48,300	16.6	6
Kyrgyzstan^[82]	10,900	0	9,500	20,400	3.5	1.9
Laos^[83]	29,100	0	100,000	129,100	17.8	4
Latvia^[84]	6,210	15,900	0	22,110	11.5	3.2
Lebanon^[85]	60,000	0	20,000	80,000	13.1	9.8
Lesotho^[86]	2,000	0	0	2,000	1	1
Liberia^[87]	2,010	0	0	2,010	0.4	0.4
Libya^[88]^{[Note 7]}	0	0	0	0	0	0
Lithuania^[89]	19,850	6,700	14,400	40,950	14.7	7.1
Luxembourg^[90]	900	0	600	1,500	2.5	1.5
Madagascar^[91]	13,500	0	8,100	21,600	0.8	0.5
Malawi^[91]	10,700	0	4,200	14,900	0.8	0.5
Malaysia^[92]^{[Note 8]}	113,000	51,600	267,200	431,800	13.6	3.6
Mali^[93]	13,000	0	7,800	20,800	1.1	0.7
Malta^[94]	1,950	180	0	2,130	4.7	4.3
Mauritania^[95]	15,850	0	5,000	20,850	5.4	4.1
Mauritius^[96]	0	0	2,550	2,550	1.9	0
Mexico^[97]	216,000	81,500	111,900	409,400	3.3	1.7
Moldova^[98]	5,150	58,000	900	64,050	18.6	1.5
Mongolia^[99]	9,700	137,000	7,500	154,200	49.7	3.1
Montenegro^[100]	2,350	0	10,100	12,450	20.3	3.8
Morocco^[101]	195,800	150,000	50,000	395,800	11.5	5.7
Mozambique^[96]	11,200	0	0	11,200	0.4	0.4
Myanmar^[102]	406,000	0	107,000	513,000	9.2	7.3
Namibia^[103]	9,900	0	6,000	15,900	6.3	3.9
Nepal^[104]	96,600	0	15,000	111,600	3.8	3.3
Netherlands^[105]	35,400	4,500	5,900	45,800	2.7	2.1
New Zealand^[106]	9,000	2,300	0	11,300	2.5	2
Nicaragua^[107]	12,000	0	0	12,000	2	2
Niger^[108]	5,300	0	5,400	10,700	0.5	0.3
Nigeria^[109]	143,000	0	80,000	223,000	1.1	0.7
North Korea^[110]^{[Note 9]}	1,280,000	600,000	5,889,000	7,769,000	306.1	50.4
North Macedonia^[111]	8,000	4,850	7,600	20,450	9.7	3.8
Norway^[112]	23,250	40,000	0	63,250	11.8	4.3
Oman^[113]	42,600	0	4,400	47,000	13.5	12.2
Pakistan^[114]	660,000	550,000	291,000	1,501,000	6.2	2.7
Palestine^[115]^{[Note 10]}	0	0	0	0	0	0
Panama^[116]	0	0	26,000	26,000	6.8	0
Papua New Guinea^[117]	3,600	0	0	3,600	0.5	0.5
Paraguay^[118]	13,950	164,500	14,800	193,250	27.5	2
Peru^[119]	81,000	188,000	77,000	346,000	11	2.6
Philippines^[120]	143,100	131,000	62,300	336,400	3.2	1.4
Poland^[121]	114,050	0	75,400	189,450	4.9	3
Portugal^[122]	27,250	211,700	24,700	263,650	25.5	2.6
Qatar^[123]	16,500	0	5,000	21,500	9.1	7
Republic of the Congo^[124]	10,000	0	2,000	12,000	2.4	2
Romania^[125]	69,300	50,000	57,000	176,300	8.2	3.2
Russia	1,320,000	2,000,000	554,000	3,874,000	27.3	9.3
Rwanda^[126]	33,000	0	2,000	35,000	2.9	2.7
Saudi Arabia^[127]	227,000	0	24,500	251,500	7.6	6.9
Senegal^[128]	13,600	0	5,000	18,600	1.2	0.9
Serbia^[129]	28,150	50,150	3,700	82,000	11.6	4
Seychelles^[130]	420	0	0	420	4.4	4.4
Sierra Leone^[130]	8,500	0	0	8,500	1.3	1.3
Singapore^[131]	51,000	252,500	7,400	310,900	51.9	8.5
Slovakia^[80]	15,850	0	0	15,850	2.9	2.9
Slovenia^[132]	7,250	1,500	5,950	14,700	7	3.4
Somalia^[133]	19,800	0	0	19,800	1.8	1.8
South Africa^[134]	65,350	15,050	0	80,400	1.5	1.2
South Korea^[135]	599,000	3,100,000	3,013,500	6,712,500	130.5	11.6
South Sudan^[136]	185,000	0	0	185,000	18.1	18.1
Spain^[137]	120,350	15,150	75,800	211,300	4.4	2.5
Sri Lanka^[138]	255,000	5,500	92,600	353,100	15.6	11.3
Sudan^[139]	104,300	0	105,000	209,300	4.9	2.4
Suriname^[140]	1,840	0	0	1,840	3.1	3.1
Sweden^[141]	29,750	0	21,200	50,950	5.1	3
Switzerland^[142]	19,550	196,450	0	216,000	26	2.4
Syria^[143]	169,000	0	100,000	269,000	13.8	8.7
Taiwan (Republic of China)^[144]	163,000	1,657,000	11,800	1,831,800	77.8	6.9
Tajikistan^[145]	8,800	0	7,500	16,300	1.9	1
Tanzania^[146]	27,000	80,000	1,400	108,400	2	0.5
Thailand^[147]	360,850	200,000	138,700	699,550	10.2	5.3
Togo^[148]	8,550	0	750	9,300	1.1	1
Transnistria^[149]^[150]	4,500	15,000	0	19,500	53.4	12.3
Trinidad and Tobago^[140]	4,050	0	0	4,050	3.3	3.3
Tunisia^[151]	35,800	0	12,000	47,800	4.2	3.1
Turkey^[152]	355,200	378,700	156,800	890,700	11	4.4
Turkmenistan^[153]	36,500	0	5,000	41,500	7.7	6.7
Uganda^[154]	45,000	10,000	1,400	56,400	1.4	1.1
Ukraine^[155]	209,000	900,000	102,000	1,211,000	27.6	4.8
United Arab Emirates^[156]	63,000	130,000	0	193,000	19.9	6.5
United Kingdom^[157]	196,453	78,600	0	275,053	4.2	3
United States^[158]	1,328,000	744,950	0	2,072,950	6.3	4
Uruguay^[159]	21,000	0	1,400	22,400	6.6	6.2
Uzbekistan^[160]	48,000	0	20,000	68,000	2.3	1.6
Vanuatu^[161]^[162]	0	0	300	300	0.9	0
Vatican City^[163]^[164]	0	135	0	135	259.6	0
Venezuela^[165]	123,000	8,000	220,000	351,000	11.1	3.9
Vietnam^[166]	482,000	5,000,000	40,000	5,522,000	56.9	5
Yemen^[167]	40,000	0	0	40,000	1.4	1.4
Zambia^[168]	15,100	3,000	1,400	19,500	1.2	0.9
Zimbabwe^[169]	29,000	0	21,800	50,800	3.6	2.1