China vs India: Military personnel
China
2.04 million
in 2022
India
1.46 million
in 2022
China rank
1st
India rank
2nd
Military personnel over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 2.04 million against 1.46 million in India, a difference of 575,000.
That makes China's figure about 1.4 times India's.
Across all 76 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 1st and India ranks 2nd of 194 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 9 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 3.42 million | 321,000 | 3.10 million | China |
| 1950s | 3.18 million | 406,600 | 2.78 million | China |
| 1960s | 2.63 million | 1.14 million | 1.49 million | China |
| 1970s | 3.84 million | 1.49 million | 2.35 million | China |
| 1980s | 4.13 million | 1.20 million | 2.93 million | China |
| 1990s | 2.90 million | 1.27 million | 1.63 million | China |
| 2000s | 2.29 million | 1.30 million | 989,900 | China |
| 2010s | 2.24 million | 1.36 million | 884,000 | China |
| 2020s | 2.04 million | 1.46 million | 576,333 | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military personnel, China or India?
- China, at 2.04 million against 1.46 million in India as of 2022.
- What is the difference in military personnel between China and India?
- 575,000, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 76 years are reported by both, from 1947 to 2022.
- How do China and India rank globally for military personnel?
- China ranks 1st and India ranks 2nd of 194 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Our World in Data, published as Military personnel. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.