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 maintains the largest standing force at roughly 2,000,000 active-duty personnel. 121 states publish a personnel figure; this ranking is the Bureau's compilation from national military reporting — methods and years vary. Personnel strength measures mass: one of 24 dimensions in the Bureau's causal model of military capability, where mass alone does not determine fighting power.
| 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 | Ukraine | 850,000 |
| 6 | Pakistan | 650,000 |
| 7 | Iran | 600,000 |
| 8 | South Korea | 500,000 |
| 9 | Turkey | 495,000 |
| 10 | Egypt | 450,000 |
| 11 | Vietnam | 450,000 |
| 12 | Indonesia | 400,000 |
| 13 | Brazil | 360,000 |
| 14 | Thailand | 350,000 |
| 15 | Colombia | 260,000 |
| 16 | Mexico | 260,000 |
| 17 | Saudi Arabia | 250,000 |
| 18 | Poland | 235,000 |
| 19 | Morocco | 220,000 |
| 20 | Sri Lanka | 210,000 |
| 21 | Algeria | 200,000 |
| 22 | France | 200,000 |
| 23 | Iraq | 200,000 |
| 24 | Germany | 185,000 |
| 25 | Bangladesh | 170,000 |
| 26 | Israel | 170,000 |
| 27 | Italy | 170,000 |
| 28 | Taiwan | 170,000 |
| 29 | Eritrea | 150,000 |
| 30 | Burma | 150,000 |
| 31 | Philippines | 145,000 |
| 32 | Nigeria | 140,000 |
| 33 | Spain | 120,000 |
| 34 | Greece | 112,000 |
| 35 | Malaysia | 110,000 |
| 36 | Angola | 100,000 |
| 37 | Azerbaijan | 100,000 |
| 38 | Jordan | 100,000 |
| 39 | Nepal | 95,000 |
| 40 | Peru | 85,000 |
| 41 | Argentina | 75,000 |
| 42 | Canada | 75,000 |
| 43 | Chile | 70,000 |
| 44 | Lebanon | 70,000 |
| 45 | Romania | 70,000 |
| 46 | United Arab Emirates | 65,000 |
| 47 | Australia | 60,000 |
| 48 | Singapore | 55,000 |
| 49 | Cuba | 50,000 |
| 50 | Kazakhstan | 50,000 |
| 51 | Niger | 50,000 |
| 52 | Uzbekistan | 50,000 |
| 53 | Uganda | 45,000 |
| 54 | Netherlands | 43,000 |
| 55 | Ecuador | 40,000 |
| 56 | Oman | 40,000 |
| 57 | Turkmenistan | 35,000 |
| 58 | Tunisia | 35,000 |
| 59 | Finland | 31,000 |
| 60 | Hungary | 30,000 |
| 61 | Laos | 30,000 |
| 62 | Zimbabwe | 30,000 |
| 63 | Bulgaria | 28,000 |
| 64 | Czechia | 28,000 |
| 65 | Palestine | 28,000 |
| 66 | Norway | 27,000 |
| 67 | Kenya | 25,000 |
| 68 | Portugal | 25,000 |
| 69 | Senegal | 25,000 |
| 70 | El Salvador | 25,000 |
| 71 | Serbia | 25,000 |
| 72 | Sweden | 25,000 |
| 73 | Tanzania | 25,000 |
| 74 | Belgium | 23,000 |
| 75 | Uruguay | 23,000 |
| 76 | Austria | 22,000 |
| 77 | Guatemala | 20,000 |
| 78 | Lithuania | 20,000 |
| 79 | Somalia | 20,000 |
| 80 | Togo | 20,000 |
| 81 | Denmark | 17,000 |
| 82 | Kuwait | 17,000 |
| 83 | Mauritania | 17,000 |
| 84 | Slovakia | 17,000 |
| 85 | Zambia | 16,000 |
| 86 | Honduras | 15,000 |
| 87 | Croatia | 15,000 |
| 88 | Paraguay | 15,000 |
| 89 | Qatar | 15,000 |
| 90 | Mozambique | 12,000 |
| 91 | Namibia | 12,000 |
| 92 | Nicaragua | 12,000 |
| 93 | Bahrain | 10,000 |
| 94 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 10,000 |
| 95 | Botswana | 10,000 |
| 96 | Malawi | 10,000 |
| 97 | Sierra Leone | 10,000 |
| 98 | Tajikistan | 10,000 |
| 99 | Latvia | 9,000 |
| 100 | New Zealand | 8,800 |
| 101 | Albania | 7,500 |
| 102 | Estonia | 7,500 |
| 103 | Ireland | 7,500 |
| 104 | Brunei | 7,000 |
| 105 | Gabon | 7,000 |
| 106 | North Macedonia | 6,000 |
| 107 | Slovenia | 6,000 |
| 108 | Fiji | 4,000 |
| 109 | Guinea-Bissau | 4,000 |
| 110 | Jamaica | 4,000 |
| 111 | Papua New Guinea | 4,000 |
| 112 | Guyana | 3,500 |
| 113 | Gambia | 3,000 |
| 114 | Eswatini | 3,000 |
| 115 | Bahamas | 1,500 |
| 116 | Cabo Verde | 1,000 |
| 117 | Luxembourg | 900 |
| 118 | Barbados | 600 |
| 119 | Tonga | 600 |
| 120 | São Tomé and Príncipe | 500 |
| 121 | Seychelles | 500 |
Figures are national estimates as reported in the CIA World Factbook; methods and years vary by country. 118 countries have no published personnel figure.
