China vs United States: Military personnel
China
2.04 million people
in 2022
United States
1.36 million people
in 2022
China rank
1st
United States rank
3rd
Military personnel over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 2.04 million people against 1.36 million people in United States, a difference of 675,000 people.
That makes China's figure about 1.5 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 12 times across 163 shared years of data; in 1860 it was China ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 3rd of 194 countries.
Across the 17 decades both report, China averaged higher in 15 and United States in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1860s | 1.00 million people | 424,300 people | 575,700 people | China |
| 1870s | 1.00 million people | 40,800 people | 959,200 people | China |
| 1880s | 1.00 million people | 38,500 people | 961,500 people | China |
| 1890s | 1.00 million people | 66,100 people | 933,900 people | China |
| 1900s | 1.00 million people | 116,400 people | 883,600 people | China |
| 1910s | 829,300 people | 582,500 people | 246,800 people | China |
| 1920s | 1.63 million people | 276,200 people | 1.36 million people | China |
| 1930s | 1.63 million people | 275,700 people | 1.35 million people | China |
| 1940s | 3.49 million people | 4.64 million people | 1.15 million people | United States |
| 1950s | 3.18 million people | 2.85 million people | 335,400 people | China |
| 1960s | 2.63 million people | 2.89 million people | 262,300 people | United States |
| 1970s | 3.84 million people | 2.28 million people | 1.56 million people | China |
| 1980s | 4.13 million people | 2.20 million people | 1.93 million people | China |
| 1990s | 2.90 million people | 1.75 million people | 1.16 million people | China |
| 2000s | 2.29 million people | 1.46 million people | 835,900 people | China |
| 2010s | 2.24 million people | 1.46 million people | 779,900 people | China |
| 2020s | 2.04 million people | 1.37 million people | 663,333 people | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military personnel, China or United States?
- China, at 2.04 million people against 1.36 million people in United States as of 2022.
- What is the difference in military personnel between China and United States?
- 675,000 people, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 163 years are reported by both, from 1860 to 2022.
- How do China and United States rank globally for military personnel?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 3rd of 194 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Military personnel. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Troops under the command of the national government, intended for use against foreign adversaries, and held ready for combat as of January 1 of the given year.