Iran vs South Korea: Military personnel
Iran
610,000 people
in 2022
South Korea
555,000 people
in 2022
Iran rank
8th
South Korea rank
9th
Military personnel over time
- Iran
- South Korea
How they compare
Iran currently reports 610,000 people against 555,000 people in South Korea, a difference of 55,000 people.
That makes Iran's figure about 1.1 times South Korea's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 74 shared years of data; in 1949 it was Iran ahead.
Iran ranks 8th and South Korea ranks 9th of 194 countries.
Across the 9 decades both report, Iran averaged higher in 2 and South Korea in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iran | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 114,000 people | 69,000 people | 45,000 people | Iran |
| 1950s | 133,100 people | 510,400 people | 377,300 people | South Korea |
| 1960s | 205,300 people | 604,500 people | 399,200 people | South Korea |
| 1970s | 328,000 people | 626,400 people | 298,400 people | South Korea |
| 1980s | 367,800 people | 609,200 people | 241,400 people | South Korea |
| 1990s | 505,400 people | 707,500 people | 202,100 people | South Korea |
| 2000s | 514,400 people | 686,200 people | 171,800 people | South Korea |
| 2010s | 523,000 people | 647,000 people | 124,000 people | South Korea |
| 2020s | 610,000 people | 569,667 people | 40,333 people | Iran |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military personnel, Iran or South Korea?
- Iran, at 610,000 people against 555,000 people in South Korea as of 2022.
- What is the difference in military personnel between Iran and South Korea?
- 55,000 people, with Iran ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and South Korea?
- 74 years are reported by both, from 1949 to 2022.
- How do Iran and South Korea rank globally for military personnel?
- Iran ranks 8th 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.