List of countries by number of military and paramilitary personnel

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Countries by number of active soldiers (2015) Countries by soldier count.svg
Countries by number of active soldiers (2015)

This is a list of countries by number of military and paramilitary personnel. It includes any government-sponsored soldiers used to further the domestic and foreign policies of their respective government. The term "country" is used in its most common use, in the sense of state which exercises sovereignty or has limited recognition.

Contents

Guide to the list

The list consists of columns that can be sorted by clicking on the appropriate title:

As military forces around the world are constantly changing in size, no definitive list can ever be compiled.

All of the 172 countries listed here, especially those with the highest number of total soldiers such as the two Koreas and Vietnam, include a large number of paramilitaries, civilians and policemen in their reserve personnel. Some countries, such as Italy and Japan, have only volunteers in their armed forces. Other countries, such as Mauritius and Panama, have no national armies, but only a paramilitary force.

Tooth-to-tail ratio

The numbers of military personnel listed include both support personnel (supplies, construction, and contracting) and actual combat personnel. For a typical country, the proportion of this total that comprises actual combat forces is about 26%[ citation needed ] (so, for every soldier there will be around three support personnel). This proportion is referred to as the "tooth-to-tail ratio".

Some countries have a considerably smaller tooth-to-tail ratio: For example, the United States Armed Forces has a tooth-to-tail ratio of 17%, meaning that for every combat unit there are around five support units. [1]

Military personnel per capita Countries by military per capita.svg
Military personnel per capita

List by the International Institute for Strategic Studies

Not included in the list are the militaries of Abkhazia, Andorra, Bhutan, Comoros, Eswatini, Maldives, Monaco, Northern Cyprus, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, Somaliland, South Ossetia, and Tonga.

See also

Notes

  1. The reserve military of Armenia consists mostly of ex-conscripts who have seen service within the last 15 years.
  2. Size of paramilitary is not known
  3. The reserve paramilitary of Cuba consists of the Youth Labour Army, Civil Defence and Territorial Troops Militia and count 1,120,000 units. Ready reserves serve 45 days per year.
  4. Size of paramilitary is not known
  5. The Basij, a paramilitary militia with claimed membership of 12.6 million (including women and children), can after mobilization reach about 600,000 people able to fight.
  6. The paramilitary forces of Italy consists of the Carabinieri and the Guardia di Finanza.
  7. No data due to the ongoing civil war.
  8. The paramilitary forces of Malaysia includes 240,000 reservists from the People's Volunteer Corps.
  9. The Worker-Peasant Red Guards count 5,700,000 units and are used as a reserve paramilitary.
  10. Precise personnel-strength figures for the various Palestinian groups are not known.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egyptian Armed Forces</span> Combined military forces of Egypt

The Egyptian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Arab Republic of Egypt. They consist of the Egyptian Navy, Egyptian Air Force and Egyptian Air Defense Forces. Previously, there was a separate command for the Egyptian Land Forces on March 25, 1964, but it was officially abolished after the Six-Day War of 1967, so that the command of the land formations returned directly to the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, and the ground formations were divided to the forces east of the canal, under whose command the two armies and the military regions, in contrast to the rest of the forces, bodies, departments, and auxiliary agencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian Armed Forces</span> Military forces of the Russian Federation

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. It is organized into three service branches—the Ground Forces, Navy, and Aerospace Forces—two independent combat arms, and the Special Operations Forces Command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syrian Armed Forces</span> Combined military forces of Syria

The Syrian Arab Armed Forces are the military forces of the Syrian Arab Republic. They consist of the Syrian Army, Syrian Air Force, Syrian Navy, Syrian Air Defense Force, and paramilitary forces, such as the National Defence Forces. According to the Constitution of Syria, the President of Syria is the Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. Minister of Defense holds the position of Deputy Commander-in-chief of the Army and Armed Forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zimbabwe Defence Forces</span> Combined military forces of Zimbabwe

The Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) are the military forces responsible for the defence of Zimbabwe against external threats from other countries, and also to suppress internal armed factions. It is composed of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) and the Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ).. Since December 2017 the ZDF is headed by General Philip Valerio Sibanda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madagascar Armed Forces</span> Combined military forces of Madagascar

The Madagascar Armed Forces is the national military of Madagascar. The IISS detailed the armed forces in 2012 as including an Army of 12,500+, a Navy of 500, and a 500-strong Air Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2S1 Gvozdika</span> Soviet 122 mm self-propelled howitzer

The 2S1 Gvozdika is a Soviet self-propelled howitzer introduced in 1972 and in service in Russia and other countries as of 2023. It is based on the MT-LBu multi-purpose chassis, mounting a 122 mm 2A18 howitzer. "2S1" is its GRAU designation. An alternative Russian designation is SAU-122, but in the Russian Army it is commonly known as Gvozdika. The 2S1 is fully amphibious with very little preparation, and once afloat is propelled by its tracks. A variety of track widths are available to allow the 2S1 to operate in snow or swamp conditions. It is NBC protected and has infrared night-vision capability.

The 9K34 Strela-3 is a man-portable air defense missile system (MANPADS) developed in the Soviet Union as a response to the poor performance of the earlier 9K32 Strela-2 system. The missile was largely based on the earlier Strela 2, and thus development proceeded rapidly. The new weapon was accepted into service in the Soviet Army in January 1974.

India maintains 10 paramilitary forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesotho Defence Force</span> Military of Lesotho

The Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) is the military of the Southern African Kingdom of Lesotho, which consists of about 2,000 personnel and is tasked with maintaining internal security, territorial integrity, and defending the constitution of Lesotho. Since the mountainous kingdom is completely landlocked by South Africa, in practice the country's external defence is guaranteed by its larger neighbour, so the armed forces are mainly used for internal security. The LDF is an army with a small air wing.

The Algerian Land Forces are the land forces of the Algerian People's National Army. The forces' equipment is mostly supplied by Russia and China.

<i>Moudge</i>-class frigate Class of Iranian light frigates

The Moudge or Mowj or Moj is a class of domestically-produced Iranian light frigates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces</span> Military unit

The Saudi Arabian Air Defense Forces or officially Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces (RSADF) is the aerial defense service branch of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces. It is fourth of the five service branches of the MOD. It has its HQ in Riyadh, where there is also an elaborate underground command facility that co-ordinates the Arabian Kingdom's advanced "Peace Shield" radar and air defense system, with an estimated 40,000 active duty military personnel in 2015. Along with the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF), it has responsibility for securing the skies of Saudi Arabia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Djiboutian Army</span> Land warfare branch of Djiboutis military

The Djiboutian National Army is the largest branch of the Djibouti Armed Forces and is based in the Djiboutian capital of Djibouti. Djibouti has upgraded its Ground Forces with advanced additions from domestic engineering and modifications. It must operate in mountainous and other rugged terrain, but it must do this without affecting the mechanized capability that is needed to confront regional forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation</span>

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is an international alliance that consists of 9 member states and 4 observers from Eurasia. It was established on 26 April 1996 as the Shanghai Five. In addition to the 10 member states and 1 observer, the SCO currently has 14 dialogue partners and 4 guest attendance entries.

IRIS <i>Hamzeh</i> (802)

Hamzeh is a corvette serving in the Northern Fleet of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy. It was originally named Chahsavar and was built as the royal yacht of Reza Shah, before being converted into a warship.

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Bibliography

Further reading