North Korea vs Pakistan: Armed forces personnel

North Korea
1.47 million
in 2020
Pakistan
943,000
in 2020
North Korea rank
3rd
Pakistan rank
6th

Armed forces personnel over time

  • North Korea
  • Pakistan
400.0k600.0k800.0k1.0M1.2M1.4M198520022020

How they compare

North Korea currently reports 1.47 million against 943,000 in Pakistan, a difference of 526,000.

That makes North Korea's figure about 1.6 times Pakistan's.

Across all 33 years both countries report, North Korea has been ahead every year.

North Korea ranks 3rd and Pakistan ranks 6th of 173 countries.

North Korea has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade North Korea Pakistan Difference Ahead
1980s 939,000 501,400 437,600 North Korea
1990s 1.19 million 703,800 490,600 North Korea
2000s 1.29 million 915,400 375,700 North Korea
2010s 1.42 million 940,880 474,120 North Korea
2020s 1.47 million 943,000 526,000 North Korea

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher armed forces personnel, North Korea or Pakistan?
North Korea, at 1.47 million against 943,000 in Pakistan as of 2020.
What is the difference in armed forces personnel between North Korea and Pakistan?
526,000, with North Korea ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for North Korea and Pakistan?
33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
How do North Korea and Pakistan rank globally for armed forces personnel?
North Korea ranks 3rd and Pakistan ranks 6th 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.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
173 places, 5,352 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed