China vs Russian Federation: Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled
China
2.54 million
in 2020
Russian Federation
1.45 million
in 2020
China rank
2nd
Russian Federation rank
4th
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled over time
- China
- Russian Federation
How they compare
China currently reports 2.54 million against 1.45 million in Russian Federation, a difference of 1.08 million.
That makes China's figure about 1.7 times Russian Federation's.
Across all 29 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 2nd and Russian Federation ranks 4th of 173 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Russian Federation | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.58 million | 1.65 million | 1.93 million | China |
| 2000s | 3.51 million | 1.44 million | 2.07 million | China |
| 2010s | 2.83 million | 1.40 million | 1.43 million | China |
| 2020s | 2.54 million | 1.45 million | 1.08 million | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled, China or Russian Federation?
- China, at 2.54 million against 1.45 million in Russian Federation as of 2020.
- What is the difference in armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled between China and Russian Federation?
- 1.08 million, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Russian Federation?
- 29 years are reported by both, from 1992 to 2020.
- How do China and Russian Federation rank globally for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled?
- China ranks 2nd and Russian Federation ranks 4th of 173 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Statizoid (derived), published as Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Armed forces personnel, total with 597 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.