China — with around 2,000,000 active-duty personnel, the largest military on earth, according to the national figures compiled in the Bureau’s factbook.
China keeps the largest standing army at roughly 2,000,000 active-duty personnel. 162 countries publish a personnel figure; this ranking is the Bureau's compilation from national military reporting — methods and years vary, and the Bureau cross-checks it against its own Power score and procurement ledger.
| Rank | Country | Active personnel (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 2,000,000 |
| 2 | India | 1,500,000 |
| 3 | North Korea | 1,300,000 |
| 4 | United States | 1,280,000 |
| 5 | Russia | 1,200,000 |
| 6 | Ukraine | 1,000,000 |
| 7 | Pakistan | 650,000 |
| 8 | Iran | 600,000 |
| 9 | South Korea | 500,000 |
| 10 | Turkey | 495,000 |
| 11 | Egypt | 450,000 |
| 12 | Vietnam | 450,000 |
| 13 | Indonesia | 400,000 |
| 14 | Israel | 400,000 |
| 15 | Brazil | 360,000 |
| 16 | Thailand | 350,000 |
| 17 | Ethiopia | 300,000 |
| 18 | Colombia | 260,000 |
| 19 | Mexico | 260,000 |
| 20 | Saudi Arabia | 250,000 |
| 21 | Japan | 240,000 |
| 22 | Poland | 235,000 |
| 23 | Morocco | 220,000 |
| 24 | Sri Lanka | 210,000 |
| 25 | Algeria | 200,000 |
| 26 | Eritrea | 200,000 |
| 27 | France | 200,000 |
| 28 | Iraq | 200,000 |
| 29 | Cambodia | 200,000 |
| 30 | Sudan | 200,000 |
| 31 | South Sudan | 200,000 |
| 32 | Venezuela | 200,000 |
| 33 | Germany | 185,000 |
| 34 | Bangladesh | 170,000 |
| 35 | Italy | 170,000 |
| 36 | Taiwan | 170,000 |
| 37 | DRC | 150,000 |
| 38 | Burma | 150,000 |
| 39 | Switzerland | 145,000 |
| 40 | Philippines | 145,000 |
| 41 | Nigeria | 140,000 |
| 42 | United Kingdom | 138,000 |
| 43 | Spain | 120,000 |
| 44 | Greece | 112,000 |
| 45 | Malaysia | 110,000 |
| 46 | Angola | 100,000 |
| 47 | Azerbaijan | 100,000 |
| 48 | Jordan | 100,000 |
| 49 | Laos | 100,000 |
| 50 | Nepal | 95,000 |
| 51 | Peru | 85,000 |
| 52 | Argentina | 75,000 |
| 53 | Canada | 75,000 |
| 54 | Chile | 70,000 |
| 55 | Lebanon | 70,000 |
| 56 | Romania | 70,000 |
| 57 | South Africa | 70,000 |
| 58 | AE | 65,000 |
| 59 | Australia | 60,000 |
| 60 | Belarus | 60,000 |
| 61 | The Dominican | 60,000 |
| 62 | Singapore | 55,000 |
| 63 | Armenia | 50,000 |
| 64 | Burkina Faso | 50,000 |
| 65 | Cameroon | 50,000 |
| 66 | Cuba | 50,000 |
| 67 | Kazakhstan | 50,000 |
| 68 | Niger | 50,000 |
| 69 | Uzbekistan | 50,000 |
| 70 | Uganda | 45,000 |
| 71 | Netherlands | 43,000 |
| 72 | Ecuador | 40,000 |
| 73 | Mali | 40,000 |
| 74 | Norway | 40,000 |
| 75 | Oman | 40,000 |
| 76 | Chad | 40,000 |
| 77 | Georgia | 37,000 |
| 78 | Bolivia | 35,000 |
| 79 | Rwanda | 35,000 |
| 80 | Turkmenistan | 35,000 |
| 81 | Tunisia | 35,000 |
| 82 | Finland | 31,000 |
| 83 | Burundi | 30,000 |
| 84 | Côte d'Ivoire | 30,000 |
| 85 | Hungary | 30,000 |
| 86 | Panama | 30,000 |
| 87 | Zimbabwe | 30,000 |
| 88 | Bulgaria | 28,000 |
| 89 | Czechia | 28,000 |
| 90 | Palestine | 28,000 |
| 91 | Kenya | 25,000 |
| 92 | Portugal | 25,000 |
| 93 | Senegal | 25,000 |
| 94 | El Salvador | 25,000 |
| 95 | Serbia | 25,000 |
| 96 | Sweden | 25,000 |
| 97 | Tanzania | 25,000 |
| 98 | Belgium | 23,000 |
| 99 | Uruguay | 23,000 |
| 100 | Austria | 22,000 |
| 101 | Ghana | 20,000 |
| 102 | Guatemala | 20,000 |
| 103 | Lithuania | 20,000 |
| 104 | Mongolia | 20,000 |
| 105 | Somalia | 20,000 |
| 106 | Togo | 20,000 |
| 107 | Denmark | 17,000 |
| 108 | Kuwait | 17,000 |
| 109 | Mauritania | 17,000 |
| 110 | Slovakia | 17,000 |
| 111 | Zambia | 16,000 |
| 112 | CT | 15,000 |
| 113 | Costa Rica | 15,000 |
| 114 | Cyprus | 15,000 |
| 115 | Honduras | 15,000 |
| 116 | Croatia | 15,000 |
| 117 | Kyrgyzstan | 15,000 |
| 118 | Paraguay | 15,000 |
| 119 | Qatar | 15,000 |
| 120 | Congo (Brazzaville) | 14,000 |
| 121 | Madagascar | 13,000 |
| 122 | Benin | 12,000 |
| 123 | Djibouti | 12,000 |
| 124 | Guinea | 12,000 |
| 125 | Mozambique | 12,000 |
| 126 | Namibia | 12,000 |
| 127 | Nicaragua | 12,000 |
| 128 | Bahrain | 10,000 |
| 129 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 10,000 |
| 130 | Botswana | 10,000 |
| 131 | Malawi | 10,000 |
| 132 | Sierra Leone | 10,000 |
| 133 | Tajikistan | 10,000 |
| 134 | Ireland | 9,500 |
| 135 | Haiti | 9,000 |
| 136 | Latvia | 9,000 |
| 137 | New Zealand | 8,800 |
| 138 | Bhutan | 8,000 |
| 139 | Albania | 7,500 |
| 140 | Estonia | 7,500 |
| 141 | Brunei | 7,000 |
| 142 | Gabon | 7,000 |
| 143 | Moldova | 6,500 |
| 144 | North Macedonia | 6,000 |
| 145 | Slovenia | 6,000 |
| 146 | Trinidad and Tobago | 5,000 |
| 147 | Fiji | 4,000 |
| 148 | The Gambia | 4,000 |
| 149 | Guinea-Bissau | 4,000 |
| 150 | Jamaica | 4,000 |
| 151 | Maldives | 4,000 |
| 152 | Papua New Guinea | 4,000 |
| 153 | Guyana | 3,500 |
| 154 | Eswatini | 3,000 |
| 155 | The Bahamas | 1,800 |
| 156 | Belize | 1,500 |
| 157 | Cabo Verde | 1,500 |
| 158 | Luxembourg | 900 |
| 159 | Barbados | 600 |
| 160 | Tonga | 600 |
| 161 | Sao Tome and Principe | 500 |
| 162 | Seychelles | 500 |
Figures are national estimates as reported in the CIA World Factbook; methods and years vary by country. 77 countries have no published personnel figure.
