North Korea vs United States: Military personnel
North Korea
1.28 million
in 2022
United States
1.36 million
in 2022
North Korea rank
4th
United States rank
3rd
Military personnel over time
- North Korea
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 1.36 million against 1.28 million in North Korea, a difference of 80,000.
That makes United States's figure about 1.1 times North Korea's.
Across all 75 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
North Korea ranks 4th and United States ranks 3rd of 194 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 9 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | North Korea | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 130,000 | 1.53 million | 1.40 million | United States |
| 1950s | 267,100 | 2.85 million | 2.58 million | United States |
| 1960s | 384,800 | 2.89 million | 2.51 million | United States |
| 1970s | 510,200 | 2.28 million | 1.77 million | United States |
| 1980s | 816,000 | 2.20 million | 1.39 million | United States |
| 1990s | 1.11 million | 1.75 million | 635,000 | United States |
| 2000s | 1.09 million | 1.46 million | 366,400 | United States |
| 2010s | 1.20 million | 1.46 million | 259,700 | United States |
| 2020s | 1.28 million | 1.37 million | 91,667 | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military personnel, North Korea or United States?
- United States, at 1.36 million against 1.28 million in North Korea as of 2022.
- What is the difference in military personnel between North Korea and United States?
- 80,000, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for North Korea and United States?
- 75 years are reported by both, from 1948 to 2022.
- How do North Korea and United States rank globally for military personnel?
- North Korea ranks 4th and United States ranks 3rd 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.