Military personnel in Pakistan

Pakistan: Military personnel was 652,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
652,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
7th
of 194 countries
All-time high
654,000 people
in 2017
All-time low
190,000 people
in 1956
Years of data
76
1947–2022

Military personnel in Pakistan, 1947–2022

200.0k300.0k400.0k500.0k600.0k700.0k194719842022

Source: Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

In 2022, military personnel in Pakistan stood at 652,000 people.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel in Pakistan peaked at 654,000 people in 2017 and was at its lowest, 190,000 people, in 1956.

That places Pakistan 7th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1940s 265,333 people 256,000 people 275,000 people 3
1950s 217,700 people 190,000 people 246,000 people 10
1960s 293,500 people 223,000 people 390,000 people 10
1970s 476,100 people 350,000 people 604,000 people 10
1980s 502,100 people 467,000 people 588,000 people 10
1990s 580,500 people 550,000 people 610,000 people 10
2000s 618,500 people 612,000 people 620,000 people 10
2010s 641,200 people 617,000 people 654,000 people 10
2020s 652,667 people 652,000 people 654,000 people 3

Countries ranked near Pakistan

  1. 4 North Korea 1.28 million people compare
  2. 5 Russia 1.19 million people compare
  3. 6 Ukraine 688,000 people compare
  4. 8 Iran 610,000 people compare
  5. 9 South Korea 555,000 people compare
  6. 10 Ethiopia 503,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Pakistan

All data for Pakistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel in Pakistan?
Military personnel in Pakistan was 652,000 people in 2022, according to Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest military personnel recorded in Pakistan?
The highest recorded value was 654,000 people in 2017.
What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Pakistan?
The lowest recorded value was 190,000 people in 1956.
How does Pakistan rank for military personnel?
Pakistan ranks 7th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel rising or falling in Pakistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Pakistan data come from?
The figures come from Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 76 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Military personnel
Unit
people
Source
Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 15,765 data points, 1816–2022
Last refreshed

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.