The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began in late February, is approaching the half-year mark. It was a conflict that many experts expected to be over in a matter of weeks, if not days. Even for those who are not military experts, a quick end to the conflict seemed a likely outcome when considering the vast difference in military power between the two nations. Russia has close to 1.5 million personnel in its armed forces, according to estimates reported by the World Bank, compared to Ukraine’s 311,000.
Another difference between Russia and Ukraine is in defense spending. While Russian military spending topped $61.7 billion in 2020, Ukraine’s was $5.9 billion. However, in many places, Ukrainian forces have pushed back the Russians. The Ukrainian forces have inflicted serious damage on the invaders and claim to have killed nearly 19,000 Russian soldiers, The Guardian reported on April 8.
Among the reasons given for the Ukrainian forces impressive performance is availability of advanced weapons from NATO countries, the fact that Ukrainians operate in areas they know well that the Russians do not, and the high morale of the defenders. (These are wars in which the most Americans died.)
Military size, based on military personnel, is, therefore, only one measure of how successful any country may be in a conflict. The U.S. spends more on its military than any other country. It also has among the world’s most sophisticated weapons. Still, a huge military has significant advantages in many conflicts. Certainly, the Chinese showed this in the Korean War.
Using armed forces personnel data from the World Bank, 24/7 Wall St. identified the country with the world’s largest militaries. Personnel counts are for 2019 and include active-duty military personnel as well as paramilitary personnel. Only paramilitary personnel whose training, organization, and equipment suggest they could be used alongside — or in lieu of — a more traditional military were included. Their inclusion means that personnel estimates may differ from other published estimates.
We also considered military spending, both in U.S. dollars and as a share of GDP. Though many of the countries with the largest militaries also tend to invest more than average on their armed forces, no country has a larger defense budget than the United States. The U.S. spent $778.2 billion on its military in 2020, triple the amount spent by China, the country with the second largest military budget, and more than 12 times Russia’s spending.
The country with the world’s largest military is India with over 3 million military and paramilitary personnel. India’s military spending in 2020 totaled $72.9 billion. (Find out if India also has the world’s largest navy.)
Click here to see the countries with the largest militaries
Source: Ibnul Asaf Jawed Susam / iStock via Getty Images
30. Bangladesh
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 227,000 (0.3% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $4.6 billion (1.3% of GDP)
>Total population: 164,689,383
[in-text-ad]
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
29. Morocco
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 246,000 (2.0% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $4.8 billion (4.3% of GDP)
>Total population: 36,910,558
Source: Photo by Abid Katib / Getty Images
28. Saudi Arabia
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 252,000 (1.7% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $57.5 billion (8.4% of GDP)
>Total population: 34,813,867
Source: Chris McGrath / Getty Images News via Getty Images
27. Japan
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 261,000 (0.4% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $49.1 billion (1.0% of GDP)
>Total population: 125,836,021
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: jasminam / iStock via Getty Images
26. Syrian Arab Republic
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 269,000 (5.2% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: N/A
>Total population: 17,500,657
Source: christophe_cerisier / E+ via Getty Images
25. Afghanistan
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 278,000 (2.7% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $279.6 million (1.4% of GDP)
>Total population: 38,928,341
[in-text-ad]
Source: Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images News via Getty Images
24. France
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 304,000 (1.0% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $52.7 billion (2.1% of GDP)
>Total population: 67,391,582
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Sean Gallup / Getty Images News via Getty Images
23. Ukraine
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 311,000 (1.5% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $5.9 billion (4.1% of GDP)
>Total population: 44,134,693
22. Sri Lanka
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 317,000 (3.7% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $1.6 billion (1.9% of GDP)
>Total population: 21,919,000
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
21. Algeria
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 317,000 (2.5% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $9.7 billion (6.7% of GDP)
>Total population: 43,851,043
Source: Azael Rodriguez / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
20. Mexico
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 328,000 (0.6% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $6.1 billion (0.6% of GDP)
>Total population: 128,932,753
[in-text-ad]
Source: Wathiq Khuzaie / Getty Images News via Getty Images
19. Iraq
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 341,000 (3.3% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $7.0 billion (4.1% of GDP)
>Total population: 40,222,503
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Emanuele Cremaschi / Getty Images News via Getty Images
18. Italy
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 342,000 (1.3% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $28.9 billion (1.6% of GDP)
>Total population: 59,554,023
Source: emarys / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
17. Venezuela
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 343,000 (3.1% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: N/A
>Total population: 28,435,943
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Paula Bronstein / Getty Images
16. Thailand
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 455,000 (1.2% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $7.3 billion (1.5% of GDP)
>Total population: 69,799,978
Source: Joel Carillet / iStock via Getty Images
15. Colombia
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 481,000 (1.8% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $9.2 billion (3.4% of GDP)
>Total population: 50,882,884
[in-text-ad]
Source: Burak Kara / Getty Images
14. Turkey
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 512,000 (1.5% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $17.7 billion (2.8% of GDP)
>Total population: 84,339,067
Source: Goldquest / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
13. Myanmar
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 513,000 (2.2% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $2.4 billion (2.9% of GDP)
>Total population: 54,409,794
Source: LordRunar / E+ via Getty Images
12. Vietnam
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 522,000 (0.9% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: N/A
>Total population: 97,338,583
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images News via Getty Images
11. South Korea
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 613,000 (2.1% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $45.7 billion (2.8% of GDP)
>Total population: 51,780,579
Source: Majid Saeedi / Getty Images
10. Iran
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 650,000 (2.4% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $15.8 billion (2.2% of GDP)
>Total population: 83,992,953
[in-text-ad]
Source: Dimas Ardian / Getty Images
9. Indonesia
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 676,000 (0.5% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $9.4 billion (0.9% of GDP)
>Total population: 273,523,621
Source: Mario Tama / Getty Images
8. Brazil
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 762,000 (0.7% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $19.7 billion (1.4% of GDP)
>Total population: 212,559,409
Source: Chris Hondros / Getty Images
7. Egypt
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 836,000 (3.0% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $4.5 billion (1.2% of GDP)
>Total population: 102,334,403
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Paula Bronstein / Getty Images
6. Pakistan
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 943,000 (1.3% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $10.4 billion (4.0% of GDP)
>Total population: 220,892,331
Source: Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images News via Getty Images
5. United States
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 1,388,000 (0.8% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $778.2 billion (3.7% of GDP)
>Total population: 329,484,123
[in-text-ad]
Source: Handout / Getty Images News via Getty Images
4. Russian Federation
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 1,454,000 (2.0% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $61.7 billion (4.3% of GDP)
>Total population: 144,104,080
24/7 Wall St.
Source: alexkuehni / iStock via Getty Images
3. North Korea
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 1,469,000 (8.7% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: N/A
>Total population: 25,778,815
Source: Kevin Frayer / Getty Images
2. China
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 2,535,000 (0.3% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $252.3 billion (1.7% of GDP)
>Total population: 1,410,929,362
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Daniel Berehulak / Getty Images News via Getty Images
1. India
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 3,045,000 (0.6% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $72.9 billion (2.9% of GDP)
>Total population: 1,380,004,385
Sponsored: Attention Savvy Investors: Speak to 3 Financial Experts – FREE
Ever wanted an extra set of eyes on an investment you’re considering? Now you can speak with up to 3 financial experts in your area for FREE. By simply
clicking here you can begin to match with financial professionals who can help guide you through the financial decisions you’re making. And the best part? The first conversation with them is free.
Click here to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you make financial decisions.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Editors' Picks
