Korea, Democratic People's Republic of vs United States of America: Armed forces personnel, total

Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
1.47 million
in 2020
United States of America
1.40 million
in 2020
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of rank
3rd
United States of America rank
5th

Armed forces personnel, total over time

  • Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
  • United States of America
0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M198520022020

How they compare

Korea, Democratic People's Republic of currently reports 1.47 million against 1.40 million in United States of America, a difference of 74,000.

That makes Korea, Democratic People's Republic of's figure about 1.1 times United States of America's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 33 shared years of data; in 1985 it was United States of America ahead.

Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ranks 3rd and United States of America ranks 5th of 173 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Korea, Democratic People's Republic of averaged higher in 1 and United States of America in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade Korea, Democratic People's Republic of United States of America Difference Ahead
1980s 939,000 2.20 million 1.26 million United States of America
1990s 1.19 million 1.77 million 572,600 United States of America
2000s 1.29 million 1.50 million 208,750 United States of America
2010s 1.42 million 1.42 million 6,862 United States of America
2020s 1.47 million 1.40 million 74,000 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher armed forces personnel, total, Korea, Democratic People's Republic of or United States of America?
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, at 1.47 million against 1.40 million in United States of America as of 2020.
What is the difference in armed forces personnel, total between Korea, Democratic People's Republic of and United States of America?
74,000, with Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Korea, Democratic People's Republic of and United States of America?
33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
How do Korea, Democratic People's Republic of and United States of America rank globally for armed forces personnel, total?
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ranks 3rd and United States of America ranks 5th of 173 countries.
Where does this data come from?
The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies, published as Armed forces personnel, total. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Korea, Democratic People's Republic of vs United States of America: Armed forces personnel, total. Statizoid, drawing on The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/compare/armed-forces-personnel-total/korea-dem-people-s-rep/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel, total
Source
The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
219 places, 6,823 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.