Japan vs Saudi Arabia: Military personnel

Japan
247,000
in 2022
Saudi Arabia
257,000
in 2022
Japan rank
22nd
Saudi Arabia rank
19th

Military personnel over time

  • Japan
  • Saudi Arabia
02.0M4.0M6.0M186019412022

How they compare

Saudi Arabia currently reports 257,000 against 247,000 in Japan, a difference of 10,000.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 90 shared years of data; in 1927 it was Japan ahead.

Japan ranks 22nd and Saudi Arabia ranks 19th of 194 countries.

Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 11 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Japan Saudi Arabia Difference Ahead
1920s 285,000 4,000 281,000 Japan
1930s 427,100 4,000 423,100 Japan
1940s 3.43 million 4,000 3.43 million Japan
1950s 192,500 25,875 166,625 Japan
1960s 239,000 43,200 195,800 Japan
1970s 236,000 74,400 161,600 Japan
1980s 243,000 80,400 162,600 Japan
1990s 245,200 176,000 69,200 Japan
2000s 240,700 207,400 33,300 Japan
2010s 245,500 230,500 15,000 Japan
2020s 247,000 247,000 0 —

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher military personnel, Japan or Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia, at 257,000 against 247,000 in Japan as of 2022.
What is the difference in military personnel between Japan and Saudi Arabia?
10,000, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Saudi Arabia?
90 years are reported by both, from 1927 to 2022.
How do Japan and Saudi Arabia rank globally for military personnel?
Japan ranks 22nd and Saudi Arabia ranks 19th of 194 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Our World in Data, published as Military personnel. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Japan vs Saudi Arabia: Military personnel. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/military-personnel/japan/saudi-arabia/

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About this data

Indicator
Military personnel
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 15,765 data points, 1816–2022
Last refreshed