Top 12 Largest Armies In The World 2024
The world’s largest armies remain concentrated among the globe’s most populous nations as well as the world’s major military powers. While an enormous population enables countries like China and India to field massive armies, their militaries also boast some of the most advanced technologies and weapons systems.
The United States retains its position as the undisputed leader in military strength despite recent calls for spending cuts. Meanwhile, Russia and China continue their push to modernize their forces and expand their capabilities to challenge American supremacy.
As the international landscape continues to shift with new threats and conflicts, military strength remains one of the key measures of power and security in the world. Here are the current top 12 largest armies in the world as we head toward 2024:
Military power has always been a crucial component of national strength and international power and influence. Despite the emergence of more unconventional threats like cyberwarfare and terrorism, conventional military strength remains vital today in safeguarding national sovereignty and interests.
The size of a nation’s military force serves as a key measure of its hard power. A large standing army with millions of active personnel indicates the sheer scale of resources a country can leverage to defend itself and pursue its objectives. Modern advanced equipment and technology also play a major role, but personnel numbers provide an important baseline comparison of military strength.
By comparing the latest official military personnel numbers among the world’s armed forces, we can identify the largest armies in the world and track the shifts in the balance of military power. Although conflicts continue trending toward asymmetric warfare, scale and size still matter when it comes to overall military capability.
As the world faces volatile geopolitical tensions among major powers alongside the persisting threat of terrorism, the state of global military forces will have an enormous impact in shaping the security landscape of the future.
12. Italy
Active Frontline Personnel: 165,500
The Italian Army maintains a standing force of around 165,500 active frontline personnel, making it the 12th largest army in the world. Italy’s military continues to make progress in modernizing and streamlining its forces. As a member of NATO, Italy contributes actively to the alliance’s security missions. Italian troops have been deployed to operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Lebanon.
Italy spends around $29 billion annually on its military. The army has completed its transition away from conscription to an all-volunteer force. Italy’s combat brigades have been reorganized into three divisions with scope for a rapid expansion in case of a national crisis. The army operates around 600 main battle tanks and almost 2,000 armored fighting vehicles. Italy has already begun receiving deliveries of the new state-of-the-art F-35 Lightning II fighter jet to replace its aging Tornados.
11. Indonesia
Active Frontline Personnel: 302,000
With around 302,000 active troops, Indonesia’s army ranks as the 11th largest army in the world. The Indonesian National Armed Forces consists of the Army, Navy, and Air Force branches. The army makes up the bulk of the armed forces. After Suharto’s dictatorship ended in 1998, Indonesia implemented major reforms to shift the military’s role toward external defense against foreign threats.
The Indonesian Army is organized into 15 military area commands. It is further divided into more than two dozen infantry and cavalry battalions. The army operates around 400 main battle tanks as well as nearly 1,000 armored vehicles. Indonesia continues to grapple with internal dissent and separatist movements that have strained the unified identity of the sprawling island nation.
10. Turkey
Active Frontline Personnel: 355,200
Turkey’s army ranks 10th in size globally based on its frontline personnel force of around 355,200 active troops. The modern Turkish military traces back to 1920 and the Turkish War of Independence led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The army holds a formidable position in Turkish society and politics.
The Turkish Army has extensive combat experience from decades of counterinsurgency operations against Kurdish rebels and recent incursions into Syria.Turkey maintains one of the largest tank fleets in NATO with over 3,000 armored vehicles. The army has undergone rapid expansion and modernization in recent years as Ankara seeks a leadership role in the Middle East.
9. Japan
Active Frontline Personnel: 379,000
Japan boasts one of the most powerful and technologically advanced militaries in the world, ranking 9th in terms of pure personnel size with around 379,000 active frontline troops. Article 9 of Japan’s post-WWII constitution forbids the use of military force except in national self-defense. However, Japan maintains a well-funded and highly capable military known as the Self Defense Force.
While bound by constitutional restraints, Japan has steadily strengthened its military capabilities in the face of threats from North Korea and China. Japan has fortified its defenses of islands in the East China Sea that are also claimed by an increasingly assertive China. Japanese troops are supported by nearly 700 aircraft and over 400 combat tanks. Japan has also grown its submarine fleet to counter Chinese underwater capabilities.
8. Iran
Active Frontline Personnel: 523,000
The Islamic Republic of Iran army numbers around 523,000 active military personnel, making it the 8th largest army by size. Ever since the 1979 revolution, the army has been focused primarily on protecting the regime against internal dissent and coup attempts. However, Iran has worked to build up its military position in the Middle East and develop asymmetric warfare capabilities to project power outward.
The Iranian army fields around 1,650 tanks as well as 2,300 armored fighting vehicles. Iran’s arsenal includes thousands of portable anti-tank weapons like the RPG-29 as well as anti-ship missiles like the Raad intended to block oil shipments in the Straits of Hormuz in case of conflict. The army has looked to cyberwarfare and drone technologies as a way to counter its relative disadvantages in conventional arms.
7. Pakistan
Active Frontline Personnel: 654,000
With nearly 654,000 active troops, the Pakistan Army is the 7th largest army in terms of personnel. Pakistan’s military has played an outsized role in the country’s politics and governance since independence in 1947. The army continues to face internal security challenges from jihadist militant groups as well as insurgencies, but focuses primarily on defending against the strategic threat from archrival India.
Despite financial constraints, Pakistan’s army has extensive experience in counterinsurgency operations. Pakistan is expanding its tank fleet with Chinese VT-4 models while boosting air defense capabilities. The army has played a pivotal role in securing Pakistan’s nuclear forces which deter an Indian conventional incursion. With a massive population topping 200 million, Pakistan can sustain a large army to support its national security imperatives.
6. North Korea
Active Frontline Personnel: 1.1 million
The Korean People’s Army is estimated to have around 1.1 million troops on active service, ranking as the 6th largest army by personnel numbers. North Korea maintains a massive military focused primarily on a potential conflict with South Korea and the United States forces stationed there.
North Korea fields more than 70% of its ground forces and 50% of its air and naval forces within 60 miles of the heavily fortified DMZ dividing the peninsula. The army has substantial artillery forces and chemical weapons stockpiles for attacks on South Korean population centers like Seoul. Experts believe the Korean People’s Army suffers from limited training standards, weak logistics, and outdated equipment.
5. South Korea
Active Frontline Personnel: 1.4 million
With its rival North Korea just across the DMZ, South Korea musters an army of around 1.4 million active personnel. South Korea relies on compulsory national service for its mass military mobilization potential. Seoul devotes extensive resources to fielding advanced weapons systems, including modern tanks, artillery, combat aircraft, and well-trained special forces.
However, South Korea’s military faces challenges in transitioning toward a smaller force with greater technical capabilities focused on future high-tech warfare. South Korea will assume operational control of forces in wartime after the planned dissolution of the US-led Combined Forces Command in 2022. This will test the strength of South Korea’s self-sufficient defenses against the North.
4. India
Active Frontline Personnel: 1.4 million
India’s army has approximately 1.4 million active military personnel, making it the 4th largest army in the world. India faces threats from archrival Pakistan as well as China along its northern border. India has been embroiled in a prolonged territorial dispute with Pakistan over the Kashmir region. It also fought a brief border war with China in 1962.
India has a massive population giving it the ability to sustain a large army. The army’s deficiencies in training, equipment maintenance, and logistics have hindered operational capabilities, however. The army is set to expand Indian officer and leadership ranks to strengthen the military command structure. India also continues to develop advanced missile and space technologies aimed at increasing its regional power projection.
3. United States
Active Frontline Personnel: 1.4 million
Despite budget constraints and a strategic shift toward countering 21st century threats like cyberwarfare and terrorism, the United States still maintains the world’s largest and most powerful military. The US Army numbers around 1.4 million active duty personnel, ranking 3rd globally in size behind China and India.
The United States army remains unmatched in its technological capabilities, training standards, operational expertise, and global power projection reach. The army is supported by the world’s largest military budget at over $700 billion. The US continues developing high-tech next-generation weapons like hypersonic missiles, robotic combat vehicles, rail guns, and directed energy weapons intended to keep American military supremacy.
2. China
Active Frontline Personnel: 2 million
The People’s Liberation Army ground forces number around 2 million active duty personnel, making China the country with the 2nd largest army in the world. China’s military power has grown steadily in recent years as Beijing looks to defend its regional territorial claims and interests as a rising world power.
Much of China’s vast ground forces are deployed along its border with India and near Taiwan alongside other contested areas like the South China Sea. The PLA fields around 6,300 main battle tanks, nearly 33,000 armored fighting vehicles, and approximately 3,100 self-propelled artillery. China has made extensive progress in modernizing its military equipment and technology even as it continues to expand its conventional forces and missile arsenals.
1. India
Active Frontline Personnel: 2.2 million
With more than 2.2 million active personnel, India’s army ranks as the largest army in the world in 2022 based on the sheer size of its total personnel. India’s army plays a vital role in maintaining national security and unity in the country of nearly 1.4 billion people. The Indian Army has decades of continuous operational experience given India’s history of tensions with Pakistan and China.
However, much of India’s equipment stock consists of aging hardware in need of upgrades and replacement. India is pushing forward with plans to strengthen its mechanized forces including main battle tanks, artillery guns, attack helicopters, and infantry combat vehicles. India also has an extensive ballistic missile arsenal capable of delivering nuclear weapons in response to attacks. With its massive population, India is postured to sustain the largest army in the world for the foreseeable future.
Conclusion
The global military balance continues evolving in response to emerging strategic threats and geopolitical realignments among major powers. However, despite changes in warfare, conventional army strength remains a crucial hard power asset. Larger armies with more troops inherently possess more raw manpower to safeguard national interests and engage in sustained conflicts.
China, India, the United States, North Korea, and Russia will continue dominating global military power dynamics due to their large armies and vital strategic roles. Other nations field sizable armies to guard against regional threats as well like Pakistan versus India. Technology and advanced systems greatly impact combat effectiveness, but competent troops and personnel ultimately implement an army’s objectives.
Even as high-tech capabilities transform modern warfare, the size and strength of land armies continue to serve as an important yardstick for measuring military power. With rising geopolitical tensions from the Asia-Pacific to the Middle East, the major military forces of the world will focus on enhancing both their conventional might and their asymmetric warfare capacities to protect and advance national interests in the coming decades.