South Korea vs Pakistan: Military personnel
South Korea
555,000 people
in 2022
Pakistan
652,000 people
in 2022
South Korea rank
9th
Pakistan rank
7th
Military personnel over time
- South Korea
- Pakistan
How they compare
Pakistan currently reports 652,000 people against 555,000 people in South Korea, a difference of 97,000 people.
That makes Pakistan's figure about 1.2 times South Korea's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 74 shared years of data; in 1949 it was Pakistan ahead.
South Korea ranks 9th and Pakistan ranks 7th of 194 countries.
Across the 9 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 7 and Pakistan in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | Pakistan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 69,000 people | 256,000 people | 187,000 people | Pakistan |
| 1950s | 510,400 people | 217,700 people | 292,700 people | South Korea |
| 1960s | 604,500 people | 293,500 people | 311,000 people | South Korea |
| 1970s | 626,400 people | 476,100 people | 150,300 people | South Korea |
| 1980s | 609,200 people | 502,100 people | 107,100 people | South Korea |
| 1990s | 707,500 people | 580,500 people | 127,000 people | South Korea |
| 2000s | 686,200 people | 618,500 people | 67,700 people | South Korea |
| 2010s | 647,000 people | 641,200 people | 5,800 people | South Korea |
| 2020s | 569,667 people | 652,667 people | 83,000 people | Pakistan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military personnel, South Korea or Pakistan?
- Pakistan, at 652,000 people against 555,000 people in South Korea as of 2022.
- What is the difference in military personnel between South Korea and Pakistan?
- 97,000 people, with Pakistan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Pakistan?
- 74 years are reported by both, from 1949 to 2022.
- How do South Korea and Pakistan rank globally for military personnel?
- South Korea ranks 9th and Pakistan ranks 7th 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.