Russia vs United States: Military personnel
Russia
1.19 million
in 2022
United States
1.36 million
in 2022
Russia rank
5th
United States rank
3rd
Military personnel over time
- Russia
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 1.36 million against 1.19 million in Russia, a difference of 170,000.
That makes United States's figure about 1.1 times Russia's.
The two have swapped places 9 times across 206 shared years of data; in 1816 it was Russia ahead.
Russia ranks 5th and United States ranks 3rd of 194 countries.
Across the 22 decades both report, Russia averaged higher in 18 and United States in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Russia | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1810s | 674,000 | 14,750 | 659,250 | Russia |
| 1820s | 797,800 | 11,600 | 786,200 | Russia |
| 1830s | 763,500 | 15,100 | 748,400 | Russia |
| 1840s | 699,700 | 30,900 | 668,800 | Russia |
| 1850s | 1.03 million | 24,200 | 1.01 million | Russia |
| 1860s | 778,600 | 424,300 | 354,300 | Russia |
| 1870s | 857,500 | 40,800 | 816,700 | Russia |
| 1880s | 853,400 | 38,500 | 814,900 | Russia |
| 1890s | 907,200 | 66,100 | 841,100 | Russia |
| 1900s | 1.34 million | 116,400 | 1.23 million | Russia |
| 1910s | 3.76 million | 325,333 | 3.44 million | Russia |
| 1920s | 1.76 million | 276,200 | 1.49 million | Russia |
| 1930s | 1.09 million | 275,700 | 814,200 | Russia |
| 1940s | 4.88 million | 4.64 million | 233,900 | Russia |
| 1950s | 4.96 million | 2.85 million | 2.11 million | Russia |
| 1960s | 3.46 million | 2.89 million | 565,300 | Russia |
| 1970s | 4.03 million | 2.28 million | 1.75 million | Russia |
| 1980s | 3.88 million | 2.20 million | 1.68 million | Russia |
| 1990s | 1.71 million | 1.75 million | 35,000 | United States |
| 2000s | 1.01 million | 1.46 million | 451,500 | United States |
| 2010s | 891,900 | 1.46 million | 567,400 | United States |
| 2020s | 996,667 | 1.37 million | 375,000 | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military personnel, Russia or United States?
- United States, at 1.36 million against 1.19 million in Russia as of 2022.
- What is the difference in military personnel between Russia and United States?
- 170,000, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Russia and United States?
- 206 years are reported by both, from 1816 to 2022.
- How do Russia and United States rank globally for military personnel?
- Russia ranks 5th 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.