India vs North Korea: Armed forces personnel
India
3.07 million
in 2020
North Korea
1.47 million
in 2020
India rank
1st
North Korea rank
3rd
Armed forces personnel over time
- India
- North Korea
How they compare
India currently reports 3.07 million against 1.47 million in North Korea, a difference of 1.60 million.
That makes India's figure about 2.1 times North Korea's.
Across all 33 years both countries report, India has been ahead every year.
India ranks 1st and North Korea ranks 3rd of 173 countries.
India has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | India | North Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.26 million | 939,000 | 321,000 | India |
| 1990s | 1.75 million | 1.19 million | 552,950 | India |
| 2000s | 2.56 million | 1.29 million | 1.27 million | India |
| 2010s | 2.84 million | 1.42 million | 1.42 million | India |
| 2020s | 3.07 million | 1.47 million | 1.60 million | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher armed forces personnel, India or North Korea?
- India, at 3.07 million against 1.47 million in North Korea as of 2020.
- What is the difference in armed forces personnel between India and North Korea?
- 1.60 million, with India ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for India and North Korea?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
- How do India and North Korea rank globally for armed forces personnel?
- India ranks 1st and North Korea ranks 3rd 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.