Russia vs Ukraine: Military personnel
Russia
1.19 million people
in 2022
Ukraine
688,000 people
in 2022
Russia rank
5th
Ukraine rank
6th
Military personnel over time
- Russia
- Ukraine
How they compare
Russia currently reports 1.19 million people against 688,000 people in Ukraine, a difference of 502,000 people.
That makes Russia's figure about 1.7 times Ukraine's.
Across all 31 years both countries report, Russia has been ahead every year.
Russia ranks 5th and Ukraine ranks 6th of 194 countries.
Russia has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Russia | Ukraine | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.34 million people | 443,750 people | 893,750 people | Russia |
| 2000s | 1.01 million people | 227,200 people | 780,200 people | Russia |
| 2010s | 891,900 people | 159,300 people | 732,600 people | Russia |
| 2020s | 996,667 people | 364,333 people | 632,333 people | Russia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military personnel, Russia or Ukraine?
- Russia, at 1.19 million people against 688,000 people in Ukraine as of 2022.
- What is the difference in military personnel between Russia and Ukraine?
- 502,000 people, with Russia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Russia and Ukraine?
- 31 years are reported by both, from 1992 to 2022.
- How do Russia and Ukraine rank globally for military personnel?
- Russia ranks 5th and Ukraine ranks 6th 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.