Iran vs Russia: Military personnel
Iran
610,000 people
in 2022
Russia
1.19 million people
in 2022
Iran rank
8th
Russia rank
5th
Military personnel over time
- Iran
- Russia
How they compare
Russia currently reports 1.19 million people against 610,000 people in Iran, a difference of 580,000 people.
That makes Russia's figure about 2.0 times Iran's.
Across all 167 years both countries report, Russia has been ahead every year.
Iran ranks 8th and Russia ranks 5th of 194 countries.
Russia has averaged higher in every one of the 18 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iran | Russia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 18,000 people | 1.26 million people | 1.24 million people | Russia |
| 1860s | 19,400 people | 778,600 people | 759,200 people | Russia |
| 1870s | 24,000 people | 857,500 people | 833,500 people | Russia |
| 1880s | 27,500 people | 853,400 people | 825,900 people | Russia |
| 1890s | 25,000 people | 907,200 people | 882,200 people | Russia |
| 1900s | 27,500 people | 1.34 million people | 1.31 million people | Russia |
| 1910s | 38,333 people | 3.76 million people | 3.72 million people | Russia |
| 1920s | 36,800 people | 1.76 million people | 1.73 million people | Russia |
| 1930s | 71,700 people | 1.09 million people | 1.02 million people | Russia |
| 1940s | 96,300 people | 4.88 million people | 4.78 million people | Russia |
| 1950s | 133,100 people | 4.96 million people | 4.83 million people | Russia |
| 1960s | 205,300 people | 3.46 million people | 3.25 million people | Russia |
| 1970s | 328,000 people | 4.03 million people | 3.70 million people | Russia |
| 1980s | 367,800 people | 3.88 million people | 3.51 million people | Russia |
| 1990s | 505,400 people | 1.71 million people | 1.20 million people | Russia |
| 2000s | 514,400 people | 1.01 million people | 493,000 people | Russia |
| 2010s | 523,000 people | 891,900 people | 368,900 people | Russia |
| 2020s | 610,000 people | 996,667 people | 386,667 people | Russia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military personnel, Iran or Russia?
- Russia, at 1.19 million people against 610,000 people in Iran as of 2022.
- What is the difference in military personnel between Iran and Russia?
- 580,000 people, with Russia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and Russia?
- 167 years are reported by both, from 1855 to 2022.
- How do Iran and Russia rank globally for military personnel?
- Iran ranks 8th 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.