These are the largest armed forces in the world ranked by active military personnel, 2024

Sophie Ireland, PhDMarch 4, 2024March 4, 2024

As of March 2024, China had the largest number of active military personnel in the world, with approximately 2.03 million active soldiers. The next four largest armies were India with 1.45 million, the United States with 1.32 million, Russia with 1.31 million, and North Korea with 1.28 million active soldiers. Active personnel, also known as active duty in the United States and active service in the United Kingdom, are those individuals whose full-time occupation is being a part of a military force.

The size and strength of a nation’s military is a crucial factor in determining its global influence and security. This report explores the military landscape of different nations, delving into which ones have the most extensive armies and the factors that contribute to their strength. We’ll cover nations from different continents, including Ukraine, Pakistan, Iran, South Korea, and Vietnam. Each of these countries maintains an active military force of 900,000, 654,000, 610,000, 600,000, and 580,000 personnel, respectively.

Largest armed forces in the world, 2024

Rank	Country	Active Soldiers
1	China	2,035,000
2	India	1,455,550
3	United States	1,328,000
4	Russia	1,310,000
5	North Korea	1,280,000
6	Ukraine	900,000
7	Pakistan	654,000
8	Iran	610,000
9	South Korea	600,000
10	Vietnam	580,000
11	Egypt	440,000
12	Mexico	412,000
13	Indonesia	400,000
14	Thailand	360,850
15	Brazil	360,000
16	Turkiye	355,200
17	Sri Lanka	346,000
18	Algeria	325,000
19	Colombia	293,200
20	Saudi Arabia	257,000
21	Japan	247,150
22	Nigeria	230,000
23	Cambodia	221,000
24	Taiwan	215,000
25	Poland	202,100
26	France	200,000
27	Morocco	195,800
28	Iraq	193,000
29	South Sudan	185,000
30	United Kingdom	184,860
31	Germany	181,600
32	Israel	170,000
33	Syria	170,000
34	Democratic Republic of the Congo	166,580
35	Italy	165,500
36	Bangladesh	163,000
37	Ethiopia	162,000
38	Myanmar	150,000
39	Philippines	150,000
40	Greece	142,700
41	Spain	133,282
42	Azerbaijan	126,400
43	Eritrea	120,000
44	Peru	120,000
45	Malaysia	113,000
46	Kazakhstan	110,000
47	Venezuela	109,000
48	Argentina	108,000
49	Angola	107,000
50	Guatemala	106,114
51	Switzerland	101,584
52	Jordan	100,500
53	Laos	100,000
54	Nepal	95,000
55	Sudan	92,000
56	Tunisia	89,800
57	Romania	81,300
58	Chile	80,000
59	Kuwait	72,000
60	South Africa	71,235
61	Canada	68,000
62	Yemen	66,700
63	Qatar	66,550
64	United Arab Emirates	65,000
65	Belarus	63,000
66	Lebanon	60,000
67	Armenia	57,500
68	Australia	57,350
69	Georgia	55,000
70	Honduras	52,225
71	Singapore	51,000
72	Kenya	50,000
73	Dominican Republic	50,000
74	Uzbekistan	48,000
75	Cuba	45,500
76	Nicaragua	45,000
77	Uganda	45,000
78	Oman	42,600
79	Hungary	41,600
80	Netherlands	41,380
81	Ecuador	41,250
82	Cameroon	40,000
83	Bolivia	40,000
84	Mali	40,000
85	Bulgaria	37,000
86	Turkmenistan	36,500
87	Mongolia	35,000
88	Chad	33,250
89	Libya	32,000
90	Mauritania	31,540
91	Zimbabwe	29,000
92	Czechia	28,000
93	Tanzania	27,000
94	Niger	25,000
95	Serbia	25,000
96	El Salvador	25,000
97	Belgium	25,000
98	Uruguay	25,000
99	Sweden	24,400
100	Portugal	24,000
101	Finland	24,000
102	Norway	23,250
103	Kyrgyzstan	23,000
104	Lithuania	23,000
105	Ivory Coast	22,000
106	Botswana	21,000
107	Denmark	20,000
108	Slovakia	19,500
109	Bahrain	18,400
110	Latvia	17,250
111	Senegal	17,000
112	Austria	16,000
113	Paraguay	15,650
114	Ghana	15,500
115	Zambia	15,150
116	Somalia	15,000
117	Croatia	14,325
118	Madagascar	13,500
119	Namibia	13,000
120	Sierra Leone	13,000
121	Bosnia and Herzegovina	12,770
122	Burkina Faso	12,000
123	Mozambique	11,200
124	Kosovo	10,000
125	Central African Republic	10,000
126	Tajikistan	9,500
127	North Macedonia	9,000
128	New Zealand	8,670
129	Republic of the Congo	8,500
130	Moldova	8,500
131	Ireland	7,765
132	Estonia	7,700
133	Bhutan	7,500
134	Slovenia	7,300
135	Albania	6,600
136	Gabon	4,800
137	Benin	4,750
138	Montenegro	2,350
139	Suriname	2,000
140	Beliz	1,650
141	Liberia	1,500
142	Luxembourg	1,000

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Sophie Ireland, PhD

Sophie Ireland, PhD in Media Entrepreneurship & Strategy, is the Senior Economist and Finance Editor at CEOWORLD Magazine, where she brings over 15 years of editorial and consulting experience across finance, media strategy, and executive communications. Sophie began her career as a financial journalist, reporting on Wall Street during the global financial crisis, before transitioning into corporate branding for Fortune 500 firms.

Her dual background in journalism and PR gives her a rare edge—she not only understands what moves the markets, but also how companies manage messaging and reputation during pivotal business moments. At CEOWORLD, Sophie curates high-level editorial content that blends financial literacy with strategic storytelling. She focuses on leadership visibility, earnings communication, investor relations, and market forecasting.

Sophie holds a degree in Financial Journalism and a professional certification in Corporate Communications. She is a sought-after panelist on executive reputation and is active in mentoring women in finance and media. Through her work at CEOWORLD, she aims to equip leaders with the insights they need to communicate powerfully, lead decisively, and maintain resilience in rapidly evolving market landscapes.

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