Egypt vs United States: Armed forces personnel
Egypt
836,000
in 2020
United States
1.40 million
in 2020
Egypt rank
7th
United States rank
5th
Armed forces personnel over time
- Egypt
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 1.40 million against 836,000 in Egypt, a difference of 559,000.
That makes United States's figure about 1.7 times Egypt's.
Across all 33 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
Egypt ranks 7th and United States ranks 5th of 173 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Egypt | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 447,500 | 2.20 million | 1.75 million | United States |
| 1990s | 546,800 | 1.77 million | 1.22 million | United States |
| 2000s | 806,000 | 1.50 million | 693,850 | United States |
| 2010s | 835,600 | 1.42 million | 586,262 | United States |
| 2020s | 836,000 | 1.40 million | 559,000 | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher armed forces personnel, Egypt or United States?
- United States, at 1.40 million against 836,000 in Egypt as of 2020.
- What is the difference in armed forces personnel between Egypt and United States?
- 559,000, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Egypt and United States?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
- How do Egypt and United States rank globally for armed forces personnel?
- Egypt ranks 7th and United States ranks 5th 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
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.