TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Like countries As everyone around the world continues to improve their country’s defense capabilities, understanding that the largest military in the world becomes a very important factor in looking at geopolitics and military readiness.

The size of militaries can affect global security dynamics. defense positioning or shaping public landscapes.

The 10 Largest Armies in the World by Number of Personnel

This article explores the 10 biggest army According to the findings, by personnel, including reserve ones, in the world Visual Capitalist.

1. Vietnam: 5.8 million

Vietnam is among the countries with the largest army in the world, with 600,000 active personnel and more than 5 million reserve personnel. The staggering figure is due to the mandatory registration of young adults in the military service policy.

According to information from the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense, the powerful army forces aim to fulfill the basic function of combat readiness to protect the country’s independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity and interests.

VPA, also known as the Vietnam People’s Army, organizes a comprehensive system of active duty training and combat units, as well as logistics support units, technical support units, academies, research institutes, officer training institutions, and vocational and vocational schools at various locations. levels.

2. India: 5.1 million

As of 2024, India has a very large army personnel compared to other countries. Visual Capitalist’s findings say India has around 5.1 million military, including reserve forces.

The Department of Military Affairs (DMA) is one of the six departments headed by the Indian Ministry of Defense.

3. South Korea: 3.8 million

South Korea, along with Vietnam, are countries that implement compulsory military service for young adults. Politics is a large part of the establishment of the country’s armed forces. Latest data shows that South Korea has approximately 3.8 million active and reserve personnel.

According to Britannica, South Korea’s military force is the largest component, with a sizeable reserve force throughout the country.

4. Russia: 3.6 million

Russia, which falls short of hundreds of personnel, ranks fourth with the largest army in the world. As can be seen from Statista’s data, there has been a leap in the Russian armed forces since 2018. More than 60 percent are expected to be on active duty.

The rise of the Russian military was greatly influenced by the conflict with Ukraine. There has been a threefold increase since the dispute began in February 2022.

5. China: 3.2 million

Ignoring reserve personnel, China will be the largest army in the world with more than 2 million active personnel. Over the past decades, the country has constantly increased its defense spending, as evidenced by the number of tanks.

Additionally, China is only one place behind the United States among the most influential countries in terms of world military spending, with approximately $292 billion in 2022.

6. Ukraine: 2.2 million

Due to the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, the estimated personnel of the Ukrainian army reached 2.2 million this year.

According to the official page of the country’s Ministry of Defense, as of the third week of October 2024, the most applications to the armed forces came from the Kharkiv region.

7. United States: 2.1 million

The army is the oldest branch of the U.S. military with the most personnel, according to Statista. As of 2024, there are around 2.1 million active and reserve personnel in the force.

While the USA ranks very low in terms of military personnel, it was noted that military expenditures in the world were at the level of 877 billion dollars. This figure corresponded to 40% of global accounts.

8. North Korea: 2 million

According to Reuters, as of October 17, 2024, at least 1.4 million young people in North Korea have applied to join or return to the army. The country blamed Seoul for the sudden spike caused by a provocative drone strike.

Last year, state media reported a similar pattern of application for army personnel. Approximately 800,000 North Korean citizens volunteered to join the army to fight against the United States.

9. Pakistan: 1.7 million

Pakistan ranks 9th among 145 countries evaluated in Global Firepower’s 2024 annual military power ranking. Recently, Pakistan has approximately 1.7 million army personnel, including reserve forces.

10. Iran: 1.2 million

Iran closes the list of countries with the largest military in the world, overseeing approximately 1.2 million active and reserve personnel. Iran also holds a notable position in the 2024 GFP annual global military power list, ranking 14th out of 145 participating countries.

These largest militaries in the world are both powerful in size and have international influence with robust capabilities.

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