Armed forces personnel in North Korea
North Korea: Armed forces personnel was 1.47 million in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in North Korea, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel in North Korea is 1.47 million, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of up 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in North Korea peaked at 1.47 million in 2016 and was at its lowest, 838,000, in 1985.
North Korea ranks 3rd of 173 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 939,000 | 838,000 | 1.04 million | 2 |
| 1990s | 1.19 million | 1.10 million | 1.24 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.29 million | 1.24 million | 1.38 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.42 million | 1.38 million | 1.47 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.47 million | 1.47 million | 1.47 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More reference data data for North Korea
- Temperature anomalies by month -2.22 °C (2026)
- Spring temperature anomalies 2.29 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.3103 °C (2026)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 0 (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.9637 °C (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 2 °C (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Democracy 1 (2025)
- Precipitation anomalies 127.56 millimeters (2025)
- Free country 0 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in North Korea?
- Armed forces personnel in North Korea was 1.47 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 North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 1.47 million in 2016.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 838,000 in 1985.
- How does North Korea rank for armed forces personnel?
- North Korea ranks 3rd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea 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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CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.