France vs Sri Lanka: Military personnel
France
203,000 people
in 2022
Sri Lanka
255,000 people
in 2022
France rank
24th
Sri Lanka rank
21st
Military personnel over time
- France
- Sri Lanka
How they compare
Sri Lanka currently reports 255,000 people against 203,000 people in France, a difference of 52,000 people.
That makes Sri Lanka's figure about 1.3 times France's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 75 shared years of data; in 1948 it was France ahead.
France ranks 24th and Sri Lanka ranks 21st of 194 countries.
Across the 9 decades both report, France averaged higher in 8 and Sri Lanka in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | Sri Lanka | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 582,500 people | 500 people | 582,000 people | France |
| 1950s | 783,800 people | 2,100 people | 781,700 people | France |
| 1960s | 677,500 people | 9,500 people | 668,000 people | France |
| 1970s | 577,400 people | 15,700 people | 561,700 people | France |
| 1980s | 567,300 people | 19,700 people | 547,600 people | France |
| 1990s | 501,200 people | 100,200 people | 401,000 people | France |
| 2000s | 271,700 people | 135,300 people | 136,400 people | France |
| 2010s | 231,600 people | 182,800 people | 48,800 people | France |
| 2020s | 203,333 people | 255,000 people | 51,667 people | Sri Lanka |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military personnel, France or Sri Lanka?
- Sri Lanka, at 255,000 people against 203,000 people in France as of 2022.
- What is the difference in military personnel between France and Sri Lanka?
- 52,000 people, with Sri Lanka ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and Sri Lanka?
- 75 years are reported by both, from 1948 to 2022.
- How do France and Sri Lanka rank globally for military personnel?
- France ranks 24th and Sri Lanka ranks 21st 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.