India vs Russia: Military personnel
India
1.46 million people
in 2022
Russia
1.19 million people
in 2022
India rank
2nd
Russia rank
5th
Military personnel over time
- India
- Russia
How they compare
India currently reports 1.46 million people against 1.19 million people in Russia, a difference of 270,000 people.
That makes India's figure about 1.2 times Russia's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 76 shared years of data; in 1947 it was Russia ahead.
India ranks 2nd and Russia ranks 5th of 194 countries.
Across the 9 decades both report, India averaged higher in 3 and Russia in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | India | Russia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 321,000 people | 3.07 million people | 2.75 million people | Russia |
| 1950s | 406,600 people | 4.96 million people | 4.55 million people | Russia |
| 1960s | 1.14 million people | 3.46 million people | 2.32 million people | Russia |
| 1970s | 1.49 million people | 4.03 million people | 2.54 million people | Russia |
| 1980s | 1.20 million people | 3.88 million people | 2.68 million people | Russia |
| 1990s | 1.27 million people | 1.71 million people | 442,000 people | Russia |
| 2000s | 1.30 million people | 1.01 million people | 297,500 people | India |
| 2010s | 1.36 million people | 891,900 people | 463,300 people | India |
| 2020s | 1.46 million people | 996,667 people | 462,000 people | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military personnel, India or Russia?
- India, at 1.46 million people against 1.19 million people in Russia as of 2022.
- What is the difference in military personnel between India and Russia?
- 270,000 people, with India ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for India and Russia?
- 76 years are reported by both, from 1947 to 2022.
- How do India and Russia rank globally for military personnel?
- India ranks 2nd and Russia ranks 5th 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.