Ethiopia vs South Korea: Military personnel
Ethiopia
503,000 people
in 2022
South Korea
555,000 people
in 2022
Ethiopia rank
10th
South Korea rank
9th
Military personnel over time
- Ethiopia
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 555,000 people against 503,000 people in Ethiopia, a difference of 52,000 people.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.1 times Ethiopia's.
Across all 74 years both countries report, South Korea has been ahead every year.
Ethiopia ranks 10th and South Korea ranks 9th of 194 countries.
South Korea has averaged higher in every one of the 9 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ethiopia | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 10,000 people | 69,000 people | 59,000 people | South Korea |
| 1950s | 24,900 people | 510,400 people | 485,500 people | South Korea |
| 1960s | 43,600 people | 604,500 people | 560,900 people | South Korea |
| 1970s | 105,800 people | 626,400 people | 520,600 people | South Korea |
| 1980s | 250,000 people | 609,200 people | 359,200 people | South Korea |
| 1990s | 155,000 people | 707,500 people | 552,500 people | South Korea |
| 2000s | 198,800 people | 686,200 people | 487,400 people | South Korea |
| 2010s | 138,000 people | 647,000 people | 509,000 people | South Korea |
| 2020s | 259,667 people | 569,667 people | 310,000 people | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military personnel, Ethiopia or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 555,000 people against 503,000 people in Ethiopia as of 2022.
- What is the difference in military personnel between Ethiopia and South Korea?
- 52,000 people, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ethiopia and South Korea?
- 74 years are reported by both, from 1949 to 2022.
- How do Ethiopia and South Korea rank globally for military personnel?
- Ethiopia ranks 10th and South Korea ranks 9th 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.