Egypt vs Russia: Armed forces personnel

Egypt
836,000
in 2020
Russia
1.45 million
in 2020
Egypt rank
7th
Russia rank
4th

Armed forces personnel over time

  • Egypt
  • Russia
500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M198520022020

How they compare

Russia currently reports 1.45 million against 836,000 in Egypt, a difference of 618,000.

That makes Russia's figure about 1.7 times Egypt's.

Across all 29 years both countries report, Russia has been ahead every year.

Egypt ranks 7th and Russia ranks 4th of 173 countries.

Russia has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Egypt Russia Difference Ahead
1990s 575,000 1.65 million 1.08 million Russia
2000s 806,000 1.44 million 631,720 Russia
2010s 835,600 1.40 million 565,500 Russia
2020s 836,000 1.45 million 618,000 Russia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher armed forces personnel, Egypt or Russia?
Russia, at 1.45 million against 836,000 in Egypt as of 2020.
What is the difference in armed forces personnel between Egypt and Russia?
618,000, with Russia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Egypt and Russia?
29 years are reported by both, from 1992 to 2020.
How do Egypt and Russia rank globally for armed forces personnel?
Egypt ranks 7th and Russia ranks 4th of 173 countries.
Where does this data come from?
The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Armed forces personnel. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel
Source
The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
173 places, 5,352 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if their training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.