China vs United States: Armed forces personnel, total
China
2.54 million
in 2020
United States
1.40 million
in 2020
China rank
2nd
United States rank
5th
Armed forces personnel, total over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 2.54 million against 1.40 million in United States, a difference of 1.14 million.
That makes China's figure about 1.8 times United States's.
Across all 33 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
Globally, China ranks 2nd and United States ranks 5th of 173 countries.
Individual pages
About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.