Armed forces personnel, total in India

India: Armed forces personnel, total was 3.07 million in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
3.07 million
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
1st
of 173 countries
All-time high
3.07 million
in 2020
All-time low
1.26 million
in 1985
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel, total in India, 1985–2020

01.0M2.0M3.0M1985200220201985: 1.3M1989: 1.3M1990: 1.3M1991: 1.3M1992: 1.3M1993: 1.3M1994: 1.3M1995: 2.1M1996: 2.2M1997: 2.2M1998: 2.3M1999: 2.3M2000: 2.4M2001: 2.4M2002: 2.4M2003: 2.4M2004: 2.6M2005: 3.0M2006: 2.6M2007: 2.6M2008: 2.6M2009: 2.6M2010: 2.6M2011: 2.6M2012: 2.7M2013: 2.7M2014: 2.7M2015: 2.8M2016: 3.0M2017: 3.0M2018: 3.0M2019: 3.0M2020: 3.1M

Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Analysis

The most recent figure for armed forces personnel, total in India is 3.07 million, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 16.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in India peaked at 3.07 million in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.26 million, in 1985.

That places India 1st out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 1.26 million 1.26 million 1.26 million 2
1990s 1.75 million 1.26 million 2.27 million 10
2000s 2.56 million 2.35 million 3.05 million 10
2010s 2.84 million 2.63 million 3.04 million 10
2020s 3.07 million 3.07 million 3.07 million 1

Countries ranked near India

  1. 2 China 2.54 million compare
  2. 3 North Korea 1.47 million compare
  3. 4 Russia 1.45 million compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total in India?
Armed forces personnel, total in India was 3.07 million in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in India?
The highest recorded value was 3.07 million in 2020.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 1.26 million in 1985.
How does India rank for armed forces personnel, total?
India ranks 1st out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is up 16.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this India data come from?
The figures come from The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies, published as part of Armed forces personnel, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel, total
Source
The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
219 places, 6,823 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

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.