Indonesia vs Thailand: Military personnel

Indonesia
396,000 people
in 2022
Thailand
361,000 people
in 2022
Indonesia rank
13th
Thailand rank
15th

Military personnel over time

  • Indonesia
  • Thailand
0200.0k400.0k600.0k188719542022

How they compare

Indonesia currently reports 396,000 people against 361,000 people in Thailand, a difference of 35,000 people.

That makes Indonesia's figure about 1.1 times Thailand's.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 74 shared years of data; in 1949 it was Indonesia ahead.

Indonesia ranks 13th and Thailand ranks 15th of 194 countries.

Across the 9 decades both report, Indonesia averaged higher in 7 and Thailand in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade Indonesia Thailand Difference Ahead
1940s 200,000 people 44,000 people 156,000 people Indonesia
1950s 274,200 people 61,600 people 212,600 people Indonesia
1960s 356,700 people 120,600 people 236,100 people Indonesia
1970s 292,900 people 221,400 people 71,500 people Indonesia
1980s 276,000 people 248,800 people 27,200 people Indonesia
1990s 281,100 people 287,800 people 6,700 people Thailand
2000s 300,500 people 307,100 people 6,600 people Thailand
2010s 367,800 people 344,500 people 23,300 people Indonesia
2020s 396,000 people 361,000 people 35,000 people Indonesia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher military personnel, Indonesia or Thailand?
Indonesia, at 396,000 people against 361,000 people in Thailand as of 2022.
What is the difference in military personnel between Indonesia and Thailand?
35,000 people, with Indonesia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Indonesia and Thailand?
74 years are reported by both, from 1949 to 2022.
How do Indonesia and Thailand rank globally for military personnel?
Indonesia ranks 13th and Thailand ranks 15th 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

Indicator
Military personnel
Unit
people
Source
Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 15,765 data points, 1816–2022
Last refreshed

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.