China vs North Korea: Military personnel, gaps filled

China
2.04 million people
in 2022
North Korea
1.28 million people
in 2022
China rank
1st
North Korea rank
4th

Military personnel, gaps filled over time

  • China
  • North Korea
01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M5.0M186019412022

How they compare

China currently reports 2.04 million people against 1.28 million people in North Korea, a difference of 755,000 people.

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

Across all 75 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.

China ranks 1st and North Korea ranks 4th of 194 countries.

China has averaged higher in every one of the 9 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade China North Korea Difference Ahead
1940s 3.13 million people 130,000 people 3.00 million people China
1950s 3.18 million people 267,100 people 2.92 million people China
1960s 2.63 million people 384,800 people 2.25 million people China
1970s 3.84 million people 510,200 people 3.33 million people China
1980s 4.13 million people 816,000 people 3.31 million people China
1990s 2.90 million people 1.11 million people 1.79 million people China
2000s 2.29 million people 1.09 million people 1.20 million people China
2010s 2.24 million people 1.20 million people 1.04 million people China
2020s 2.04 million people 1.28 million people 755,000 people China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher military personnel, gaps filled, China or North Korea?
China, at 2.04 million people against 1.28 million people in North Korea as of 2022.
What is the difference in military personnel, gaps filled between China and North Korea?
755,000 people, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and North Korea?
75 years are reported by both, from 1948 to 2022.
How do China and North Korea rank globally for military personnel, gaps filled?
China ranks 1st and North Korea ranks 4th of 194 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Statizoid (derived), published as Military personnel, gaps filled. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China vs North Korea: Military personnel, gaps filled. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 21 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/military-personnel-gaps-filled/china/korea-dem-people-s-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Military personnel, gaps filled
Unit
people
Source
Statizoid (derived)
Licence
Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage
194 places, 15,868 data points, 1816–2022
Last refreshed

Military personnel with 103 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.