Overview
The total size of a military force includes its active forces, its reserve forces as well as its paramilitary forces. This is the total military force a country can marshal in an extended military conflict.
Which country has the largest military force in the world?
The country with the largest military force is North Korea with a force strength of 7,769,000 personnel. At second and third, are South Korea with a 6,712,500-strong military and Vietnam with a military force of 5,522,000 personnel.
In comparison, the average size of the military forces worldwide is around 374,765.1 military personnel.
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If we add up the world's military forces, Earth's total military force is a whopping 63 million strong or 0.84% of the world's population.
DEFENSE SPENDING
Defense Budget. United States has the highest military budget at US$731,751M . Average size of defense budgets among countries stand at US$12,617.4M.
Percentage of GDP on Defense. Oman's defence budget makes up 8.80% of its GDP - the highest in the world. On average, countries spend %1.8 of their GDPs on defense.
FORCE STRUCTURE
Active Forces. China has the largest active military, with 2,185,000 personnel. Average size of active military forces among countries stand at 117,185.2 personnel.
Reserve Forces. South Korea has the largest reserve military, with 3,100,000 personnel. On average, countries maintain a reserve strength of 116,894.1 personnel.
Paramilitary Forces. North Korea has the largest paramilitary force, with 5,889,000 personnel. The average paramilitary force size is 140,685.8 personnel.
Total Military Force Per Capita. North Korea has the highest total military per capita at 306.1 per 1000 in population - the highest in the world. The average total military force per capita for countries is around 13.4 per 1000 in population.
These are the countries with the largest military forces:
North Korea has the largest military force in the world. North Korea has a military that is composed of 1,280,000 active personnel (third-largest in Asia), 600,000 in reserve and 5,889,000 from paramilitary forces, totalling 7,769,000 or 306.1 military personnel per 1000 in population. Its per-capita military is the highest in the world.
North Korea's battle tank force is the second-largest in the world. On land, North Korea has a mobile force of 10,375 tanks. For aerial defence, North Korea has an air force of 576 military aircrafts and 100 attack helicopters.
North Korea's naval fleet is the third-largest in Asia. North Korea has a naval fleet of 73 vessels, including 70 non-nuclear submarines.
The defence budget of South Korea is estimated at US$43,891M at around 2.70% of its GDP.
South Korea has the second-largest military force in the world. With a 6,712,500-strong military, South Korea has a per-capita ratio of 130.5 military personnel per 1000 in population. Its total military consists of 599,000 active personnel, 3,100,000 reserve personnel and 3,013,500 from paramilitary forces. Its per-capita military is the second-highest in the world.
On land, South Korea has a mobile force of 2,514 tanks. For aerial defence, South Korea has an air force of 587 military aircrafts and 273 attack helicopters.
South Korea's naval fleet is the second-largest in Asia. South Korea has a naval fleet of 86 vessels, including 23 non-nuclear submarines. The naval fleet also possesses numerous warships, including 14 frigates, 12 destroyers and 36 corvettes.
Vietnam's military force is the third-largest in the world. Vietnam has a military that is composed of 482,000 active personnel and 5,040,000 from paramilitary forces, totalling 5,522,000 or 108.4 military personnel per 1000 in population. Its per-capita military is the third-highest in Asia.
On land, Vietnam has a mobile force of 1,800 tanks. For aerial defence, Vietnam has an air force of 97 military aircrafts and 47 attack helicopters.
Vietnam has a naval fleet of 14 vessels, including 6 non-nuclear submarines. The naval fleet also possesses numerous warships, including 2 frigates and 6 corvettes.
India has the third-highest defence budget in the world. India allocates about 2.40% of its GDP (estimated at US$71,125M) for its defence budget.
With a 5,137,500-strong military, India has a per-capita ratio of 4 military personnel per 1000 in population. Its total military consists of 1,455,550 active personnel (second-largest globally), 1,155,000 reserve personnel and 2,526,950 from paramilitary forces.
India has the third-largest battle tank force in Asia. On land, India has a mobile force of 6,464 tanks. For aerial defence, India has an air force of 544 military aircrafts and 23 attack helicopters.
India has a naval fleet of 69 vessels, including 1 aircraft carriers, 2 nuclear submarines and 14 non-nuclear submarines. Rounding up the fleet of warships are 14 frigates, 11 destroyers and 26 corvettes.
The country with the second-highest defence budget in the world is China. China's defence expenditure is estimated to be US$261,082M (1.90% of its GDP).
With a 4,015,000-strong military, China has a per-capita ratio of 2.9 military personnel per 1000 in population. Its total military consists of 2,185,000 active personnel (largest in the world), 1,170,000 reserve personnel and 660,000 from paramilitary forces.
China has the third-largest battle tank force in the world. On land, China has a mobile force of 9,000 tanks. For aerial defence, China has an air force of 2,615 military aircrafts and 450 attack helicopters.
China has the largest naval fleet in the world. China has a naval fleet of 270 vessels, including 2 aircraft carriers, 14 nuclear submarines and 55 non-nuclear submarines. The naval fleet of warships also include 52 frigates, 36 destroyers and 42 corvettes.
Russia's defence budget is the highest in Europe. The defence budget of Russia is estimated at US$65,103M at around 3.90% of its GDP. Its percentage of GDP allocated to defence spending is the second-highest in Europe.
Russia has the largest military force in Europe. With a 3,568,000-strong military, Russia has a per-capita ratio of 25.1 military personnel per 1000 in population. Its total military consists of 1,014,000 active personnel (largest in Europe), 2,000,000 reserve personnel and 554,000 from paramilitary forces.
Russia's battle tank force is the largest in the world. On land, Russia has a mobile force of 22,710 tanks. For aerial defence, Russia has an air force of 3,212 military aircrafts and 1,438 attack helicopters.
Russia's naval fleet is the third-largest in the world. Russia has a naval fleet of 220 vessels, including 1 aircraft carriers and 59 nuclear submarines. The naval fleet of warships also include 6 frigates, 18 destroyers and 78 corvettes.
United States's defence budget is the highest in the world. United States allocates about 3.40% of its GDP (estimated at US$731,751M) for its defence budget. Its percentage of GDP allocated to defence spending is the highest in North America.
United States has the largest military force in North America. United States has a military that is composed of 1,388,100 active personnel (third-largest in the world) and 844,950 in reserve, totalling 2,233,050 or 6.8 military personnel per 1000 in population.
United States's battle tank force is the largest in North America. On land, United States has a mobile force of 8,850 tanks. For aerial defence, United States has an air force of 14,061 military aircrafts and 3,720 attack helicopters.
United States's naval fleet is the second-largest in the world. United States has a naval fleet of 254 vessels, including 11 aircraft carriers and 70 nuclear submarines. The naval fleet also possesses numerous warships, including 21 frigates, 69 destroyers and 27 corvettes.
Check out these military rankings by region and force type:
Gap Analysis - Ukraine vs Russia | NATO vs Russia
Largest Militaries Worldwide - by total force | by active force | by force per capita
Largest Militaries (region) - Asia | N. Asia | Europe | Africa | Middle East | N. America | S. America
NATO Nations - Defense Spending | Air Force | Military | Tanks | Navy | Submarines
G20 Nations - Defense Spending | Air Force | Military | Tanks | Navy | Submarines | Nuclear
ASEAN Nations - Defense Spending | Air Force | Military | Tanks | Navy
Northeast Asia Nations - Defense Spending | Air Force | Military | Tanks | Navy | Submarines
Gap Analysis - NATO & Russia | Ukraine & Russia | China & Taiwan
Highest Military Budgets - World | Asia | N. Asia | Europe | Africa | Middle East | N. America | S. America
Largest Navy - World | Asia | N. Asia | Europe | S. America
Most Submarines - World | Asia | N. Asia | Europe | S. America
Largest Air Force - World | Africa | Asia | N. Asia | Europe | Middle East | N. America | S. America
Most Battle Tanks - World | Africa | Asia | N. Asia | Europe | Middle East