Armed forces personnel in China
China: Armed forces personnel was 2.54 million in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in China, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
China recorded 2.54 million for armed forces personnel in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of down 13.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in China peaked at 4.13 million in 1996 and was at its lowest, 2.54 million, in 2019.
That places China 2nd out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 3.90 million | — |
| 1989 | 3.90 million | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 3.50 million | -10.3% |
| 1991 | 3.20 million | -8.6% |
| 1992 | 3.16 million | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 3.03 million | -4.1% |
| 1994 | 2.93 million | -3.3% |
| 1995 | 4.13 million | +41.0% |
| 1996 | 4.13 million | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 3.64 million | -12.0% |
| 1998 | 3.82 million | +4.9% |
| 1999 | 3.82 million | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 3.91 million | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 3.81 million | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 3.77 million | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 3.75 million | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 3.75 million | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 3.75 million | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 3.60 million | -4.0% |
| 2007 | 2.88 million | -20.0% |
| 2008 | 2.88 million | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 2.94 million | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 2.94 million | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 2.94 million | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 2.99 million | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 2.99 million | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 2.99 million | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 2.84 million | -5.0% |
| 2016 | 2.69 million | -5.2% |
| 2017 | 2.69 million | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 2.69 million | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 2.54 million | -5.9% |
| 2020 | 2.54 million | +0.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 2.54 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 64,000, 39.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- China's 2.54 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 146,500, 17.3× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +41.0% | 2.93 million | 4.13 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.90 million | 3.90 million | 3.90 million | 2 |
| 1990s | 3.54 million | 2.93 million | 4.13 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.51 million | 2.88 million | 3.91 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.83 million | 2.54 million | 2.99 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.54 million | 2.54 million | 2.54 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near China
- 1 India 3.07 million compare
- 3 North Korea 1.47 million compare
- 4 Russia 1.45 million compare
- 5 United States 1.40 million compare
More reference data data for China
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 49.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 75.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 303.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 18.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 303.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 165.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 206.2 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 350.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,480 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 102.37 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in China?
- Armed forces personnel in China was 2.54 million in 2020, according to The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 4.13 million in 1996.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.54 million in 2019.
- How does China rank for armed forces personnel?
- China ranks 2nd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Armed forces personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if their training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.