France vs Italy: Armed forces personnel
France
304,000
in 2020
Italy
338,000
in 2020
France rank
23rd
Italy rank
20th
Armed forces personnel over time
- France
- Italy
How they compare
Italy currently reports 338,000 against 304,000 in France, a difference of 34,000.
That makes Italy's figure about 1.1 times France's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 33 shared years of data; in 1985 it was France ahead.
France ranks 23rd and Italy ranks 20th of 173 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, France averaged higher in 1 and Italy in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | Italy | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 509,150 | 445,550 | 63,600 | France |
| 1990s | 495,660 | 514,510 | 18,850 | Italy |
| 2000s | 360,497 | 444,004 | 83,507 | Italy |
| 2010s | 315,882 | 354,698 | 38,816 | Italy |
| 2020s | 304,000 | 338,000 | 34,000 | Italy |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher armed forces personnel, France or Italy?
- Italy, at 338,000 against 304,000 in France as of 2020.
- What is the difference in armed forces personnel between France and Italy?
- 34,000, with Italy ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and Italy?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
- How do France and Italy rank globally for armed forces personnel?
- France ranks 23rd and Italy ranks 20th of 173 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Our World in Data, published as Armed forces personnel. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.