Head-to-head comparisons of militaries are hard to make. Each force brings different capabilities to the table and excels in different environments.
Global Firepower’s 2017 Military Strength Ranking tries to compensate for those differences by drawing on more than 50 factors – among them diversity of weapons, available manpower, logistical capacity, and industrial base – to assign a Power Index score to 133 countries.
The number of troops and available personnel a country can draw on are central components of its military power. The list below is composed of the 15 militaries with the most active-duty personnel – the “ready to fight” units that would be the first to see combat:
15. Turkey — 350,000 active personnel
Total population: 80,845,215
Manpower available: 41,640,000
Total military personnel: 710,565
Active personnel: 350,000
Reserve personnel: 360,565
Fit-for-service: 35,010,000
Reaching military age: 1,375,000
Overall military rank: No. 9
14. Colombia — 369,100 active personnel
Total population: 47,698,524
Manpower available: 24,000,000
Total military personnel: 511,550
Active personnel: 369,100
Reserve personnel: 142,450
Fit-for-service: 19,015,000
Reaching military age: 845,000
Overall military rank: No. 45
13. Myanmar — 406,000 active personnel
Total population: 55,123,814
Manpower available: 30,000,000
Total military personnel: 516,000
Active personnel: 406,000
Reserve personnel: 110,000
Fit-for-service: 21,635,000
Reaching military age: 1,030,000
Overall military rank: No. 35
12. Indonesia — 435,750 active personnel
Total population: 260,580,739
Manpower available: 130,000,000
Total military personnel: 975,750
Active personnel: 435,750
Reserve personnel: 540,000
Fit-for-service: 107,540,000
Reaching military age: 4,500,000
Overall military rank: No.15
11. Vietnam — 448,500 active personnel
Total population: 96,160,163
Manpower available: 50,650,000
Total military personnel: 5,488,500
Active personnel: 448,500
Reserve personnel: 5,040,000
Fit-for-service: 41,505,000
Reaching military age: 1,640,000
Overall military rank: No. 20
10. Egypt — 454,250 active personnel
Total population: 97,041,072
Manpower available: 42,000,000
Total military personnel: 1,329,250
Active personnel: 454,250
Reserve personnel: 875,000
Fit-for-service: 35,306,000
Reaching military age: 1,535,000
Overall military rank: No. 12
9. Algeria — 520,000 active personnel
Total population: 40,969,443
Manpower available: 20,400,000
Total military personnel: 792,350
Active personnel: 520,000
Reserve personnel: 272,350
Fit-for-service: 17,250,000
Reaching military age: 675,000
Overall military rank: No. 23
8. Iran — 534,000 active personnel
Total population: 82,021,564
Manpower available: 47,000,000
Total military personnel: 934,000
Active personnel: 534,000
Reserve personnel: 400,000
Fit-for-service: 39,570,000
Reaching military age: 1,400,000
Overall military rank: No. 13
7. South Korea — 625,000 active personnel
Total population: 51,181,299
Manpower available: 25,610,000
Total military personnel: 5,827,250
Active personnel: 625,000
Reserve personnel: 5,202,250
Fit-for-service: 21,035,000
Reaching military age: 690,000
Overall military rank: No. 7
6. Pakistan — 637,000 active personnel
Total population: 204,924,861
Manpower available: 95,000,000
Total military personnel: 919,000
Active personnel: 637,000
Reserve personnel: 282,000
Fit-for-service: 75,325,000
Reaching military age: 4,345,000
Overall military rank: No. 17
5. North Korea — 945,000 active personnel
Total population: 25,248,140
Manpower available: 13,000,000
Total military personnel: 6,445,000
Active personnel: 945,000
Reserve personnel: 5,500,000
Fit-for-service: 10,100,000
Reaching military age: 415,000
Overall military rank: No. 18
4. Russia — 1,013,628 active personnel
Total population: 142,257,519
Manpower available: 70,000,000
Total military personnel: 3,586,128
Active personnel: 1,013,628
Reserve personnel: 2,572,500
Fit-for-service: 47,000,000
Reaching military age: 1,355,000
Overall military rank: No. 2
3. United States — 1,281,900 active personnel
Total population: 326,625,791
Manpower available: 145,215,000
Total military personnel: 2,083,100
Active personnel: 1,281,900
Reserve personnel: 801,200
Fit-for-service: 120,025,000
Reaching military age: 4,220,000
Overall military rank: No. 1
2. India — 1,362,500 active personnel
Total population: 1,281,935,911
Manpower available: 616,000,000
Total military personnel: 4,207,250
Active personnel: 1,362,500
Reserve personnel: 2,844,750
Fit-for-service: 489,600,000
Reaching military age: 22,900,000
Overall military rank: No. 4
1. China — 2,183,000 active personnel
Total population: 1,379,302,771
Manpower available: 750,000,000
Total military personnel: 2,693,000
Active personnel: 2,183,000
Reserve personnel: 510,000
Fit-for-service: 619,000,000
Reaching military age: 19,550,000
Overall military rank: No. 3