France vs Japan: Military personnel
France
203,000 people
in 2022
Japan
247,000 people
in 2022
France rank
24th
Japan rank
22nd
Military personnel over time
- France
- Japan
How they compare
Japan currently reports 247,000 people against 203,000 people in France, a difference of 44,000 people.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.2 times France's.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 155 shared years of data; in 1860 it was France ahead.
France ranks 24th and Japan ranks 22nd of 194 countries.
Across the 17 decades both report, France averaged higher in 14 and Japan in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1860s | 499,100 people | 4,200 people | 494,900 people | France |
| 1870s | 552,000 people | 32,700 people | 519,300 people | France |
| 1880s | 548,400 people | 53,500 people | 494,900 people | France |
| 1890s | 613,700 people | 113,800 people | 499,900 people | France |
| 1900s | 618,400 people | 235,300 people | 383,100 people | France |
| 1910s | 2.64 million people | 435,400 people | 2.20 million people | France |
| 1920s | 585,900 people | 299,300 people | 286,600 people | France |
| 1930s | 509,200 people | 427,100 people | 82,100 people | France |
| 1940s | 1.63 million people | 3.61 million people | 1.98 million people | Japan |
| 1950s | 827,875 people | 192,500 people | 635,375 people | France |
| 1960s | 677,500 people | 239,000 people | 438,500 people | France |
| 1970s | 577,400 people | 236,000 people | 341,400 people | France |
| 1980s | 567,300 people | 243,000 people | 324,300 people | France |
| 1990s | 501,200 people | 245,200 people | 256,000 people | France |
| 2000s | 271,700 people | 240,700 people | 31,000 people | France |
| 2010s | 231,600 people | 245,500 people | 13,900 people | Japan |
| 2020s | 203,333 people | 247,000 people | 43,667 people | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military personnel, France or Japan?
- Japan, at 247,000 people against 203,000 people in France as of 2022.
- What is the difference in military personnel between France and Japan?
- 44,000 people, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and Japan?
- 155 years are reported by both, from 1860 to 2022.
- How do France and Japan rank globally for military personnel?
- France ranks 24th and Japan ranks 22nd 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.