Vietnam, India, and South Korea Have the Largest Armies 🌍💂

What We’re Showing

The top ten countries by military personnel as of May 2024, including active and reserve personnel, as well as paramilitary forces, based on data from GlobalFirepower.com.

Key Takeaways

• China has the largest standing army, with over 2 million active personnel. However, when reserve personnel are included, the Chinese military falls behind Vietnam, India, South Korea, and Russia.
• Vietnam's forces have 600K active personnel but over 5 million in reserve. This is because Vietnam (along with countries like South Korea and Israel) has a standing policy of conscription for young adults.