Bashaoor Pakistan
The world’s best armed forces data revealed – for all major countries
World armed forces: Chinese air force pilots salute during a training for China’s 60th anniversary military parade in Beijing. Photograph: AP
With all the talk of nuclear weapons reduction going on, we’ve forgotten the millions of men and women out there with guns, rockets and bombs: the armed forces.
And how many are there? The world’s best resource is the International Institute for Strategic Studies, which has kindly let us reproduce these numbers from the Military balance, the definitive guide to forces around the world.
We’ve also added in population so that we can work out number of forces personnel per 100,000 of the population – and defence budgets from the most recent year we can get.
Now, what we want you to do is visualise that information or mash it up with something else. What can you do with it?
Data summary
|
Country
|
Defence Budget 2008, $
|
Active forces
|
Active forces per 100,000 pop
|
Reserve/ para military/ civilian
|
TOTAL
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | $153m (2007) | 53400 | 163.11 | 53400 | |
| Albania | $233m | 14295 | 394.91 | 500 | 14795 |
| Algeria | $4.27bn (2007) | 147000 | 435.3 | 150000 | 297000 |
| Angola | $2.43bn | 107000 | 853.86 | 10000 | 117000 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | $5.2m | 170 | 243.41 | 75 | 245 |
| Argentina | $1.99bn | 76000 | 152.99 | 76000 | |
| Armenia | $395m | 42080 | 1417.51 | 42080 | |
| Australia | $15.7bn | 54747 | 265.75 | 19915 | 74662 |
| Austria | $3.60bn (2007) | 34900 | 425.32 | 195000 | 229900 |
| Azerbaijan | $1258m | 66940 | 818.57 | 300000 | 366940 |
| Bahamas | $65m | 860 | 279.72 | 860 | |
| Bahrain | $5.8m | 8200 | 1141.43 | 11260 | 19460 |
| Bangladesh | $912m | 157053 | 102.28 | 63900 | 220953 |
| Barbados | $30.0m | 610 | 216.34 | 430 | 1040 |
| Belarus | $681m | 72940 | 753.06 | 289500 | 362440 |
| Belgium | $3.82bn | 38844 | 373.36 | 2040 | 40884 |
| Belize | $19m | 1050 | 348.52 | 700 | 700 |
| Benin | $55m (2007) | 4750 | 57.26 | 2500 | 7250 |
| Bolivia | $257m | 46100 | 498.5 | 37100 | 83200 |
| Bosnia-Herzegovina | $223m | 8543 | 186.11 | 8543 | |
| Botswana | $317m (2007) | 9000 | 488.51 | 1500 | 10500 |
| Brazil | $20.15bn | 326435 | 170.1 | 1340000 | 1666435 |
| Brunei | $345m | 7000 | 1835.48 | 700 | 7700 |
| Bulgaria | $886m | 40747 | 561.05 | 302500 | 343247 |
| Burkina Faso | $95m (2007) | 10800 | 70.75 | 250 | 11050 |
| Burundi | $82m | 20000 | 230.12 | 31050 | 51050 |
| Cambodia | $137m (2007) | 124300 | 872.79 | 67000 | 191300 |
| Cameroon | $297m (2007) | 14100 | 76.35 | 9000 | 23100 |
| Canada | $15.9bn | 64371 | 193.81 | 60072 | 124443 |
| Cape Verde | $8.0m (2007) | 1200 | 281.03 | 1200 | |
| Central African Republic | $18m (2007) | 3150 | 71.03 | 3150 | |
| Chad | $70m (2007) | 25350 | 250.71 | 9500 | 34850 |
| Chile | $2.31bn | 60560 | 368.05 | 40000 | 100560 |
| China | $61.1bn | 2185000 | 164.28 | 800000 | 2985000 |
| Colombia | $55.0m | 267231 | 593.67 | 61900 | 329131 |
| Congo | $94m (2007) | 10000 | 256.19 | 2000 | 12000 |
| Costa Rica | $190m | 0 | 9800 | 9800 | |
| Cote D’lvoire | $290m (2007) | 17050 | 92.8 | 10000 | 27050 |
| Croatia | $962m | 18600 | 414.11 | 21000 | 39600 |
| Cuba | 49000 | 428.92 | 39000 | 88000 | |
| Cyprus | $493m | 10000 | 1261.66 | 60000 | 70000 |
| Czech Republic | $2.91bn | 24083 | 235.62 | 11568 | 35651 |
| Democratic Republic of Congo | $166m (2007) | 151251 | 227.4 | 151251 | |
| Denmark | $4.10bn | 29550 | 538.77 | 53507 | 83057 |
| Djibouti | $16.6m (2007) | 10450 | 2064.32 | 10450 | |
| Dominica Republic | $284m | 49910 | 524.97 | 15000 | 64910 |
| Ecuador | 25000 | 57983 | 416.32 | 118000 | 200983 |
| Egypt | $3.16bn (2007) | 468500 | 573.34 | 479000 | 947500 |
| El Salvador | $115m | 15500 | 219.35 | 99000 | 114500 |
| Equatorial Guinea | $8.4bn (2007) | 1320 | 214.13 | 1320 | |
| Eritea | 201750 | 4012.15 | 12000 | 213750 | |
| Estonia | $425m | 5300 | 405.32 | 16000 | 21300 |
| Ethiopia | $359m | 138000 | 176.35 | 138000 | |
| Fiji | $51m | 3500 | 375.64 | 6000 | 9500 |
| Finland | $3.41bn | 29300 | 558.65 | 237000 | 266300 |
| France | $41.1bn | 352771 | 550.71 | 70300 | 423071 |
| Gabon | $123m (2007) | 4700 | 316.32 | 2000 | 6700 |
| Gambia | $4.0m (2007) | 800 | 46.1 | 800 | |
| Georgia | $1,095m | 21150 | 456.72 | 11700 | 32850 |
| Germany | $39.86bn | 244324 | 296.62 | 161812 | 406136 |
| Ghana | $105m | 13500 | 57.73 | 13500 | |
| Greece | $5.62bn | 156600 | 1460.44 | 237500 | 394100 |
| Guatemala | $181m | 15500 | 119.21 | 63863 | 79363 |
| Guinea | $52m (2007) | 12300 | 120.45 | 7000 | 19300 |
| Guinea Bissau | $15m (2007) | 6458 | 429.62 | 6458 | |
| Guyana | 1100 | 142.71 | 670 | 1770 | |
| Haiti | |||||
| Honduras | $95m | 12000 | 155.98 | 8000 | 20000 |
| Hungary | $1.62bn | 25207 | 253.82 | 44000 | 69207 |
| Iceland | 0 | 130 | 130 | ||
| India | $25.3bn | 1281200 | 111.6 | 1155000 | 2436200 |
| Indonesia | $3.12bn | 302000 | 127.15 | 400000 | 702000 |
| Iran | $7.45bn (2007) | 523000 | 793.93 | 40000 | 563000 |
| Iraq | 577056 | 2044.76 | 577056 | ||
| Ireland | $1.35bn | 10460 | 251.68 | 14875 | 25335 |
| Israel | $2.38bn | 176500 | 2481.6 | 565000 | 741500 |
| Italy | $20.81bn | 292983 | 503.88 | 41867 | 334850 |
| Jamaica | $108m (2007) | 2830 | 100.92 | 953 | 3783 |
| Japan | $47.3bn | 230300 | 180.93 | 41800 | 272100 |
| Jordan | $1.94bn | 100500 | 1621.31 | 65000 | 165500 |
| Kazakhstan | $1.16bn (2007) | 49000 | 319.42 | 31500 | 80500 |
| Kenya | $664m | 24120 | 63.55 | 5000 | 29120 |
| Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of | 1106000 | 4710.57 | 4700000 | 5806000 | |
| Korea, Republic of | $28.6bn | 687000 | 1395.41 | 4500 | 691500 |
| Kuwait | $4.93bn | 15500 | 596.89 | 23700 | 39200 |
| Kyrgyzstan | $3.9m (2007) | 10900 | 203.48 | 9500 | 20400 |
| Laos | $14.6m (2007) | 29100 | 435.79 | 100000 | 129100 |
| Latvia | $513m | 5187 | 231 | 11204 | 16391 |
| Lebanon | $751m | 56000 | 1409.89 | 20000 | 76000 |
| Lesotho | $40m (2007) | 2000 | 93.98 | 2000 | |
| Liberia | 2400 | 71.97 | 2400 | ||
| Libya | $656m | 76000 | 1231.05 | 40000 | 116000 |
| Lithuania | $500m | 8850 | 248.23 | 6700 | 15550 |
| Luxembourg | $360m (2007) | 900 | 185.18 | 612 | 1512 |
| Macedonia, Former Yugoslav Republic | $163m | 10890 | 528.3 | 21000 | 31890 |
| Madagascar | $99m | 13500 | 67.36 | 8100 | 21600 |
| Malawi | $5.8bn (2007) | 5300 | 38.04 | 1500 | 6800 |
| Malaysia | $3.94bn | 109000 | 431.27 | 51600 | 160600 |
| Mali | $157m (2007) | 7350 | 59.64 | 8100 | 15450 |
| Malta | $44m (2007) | 1954 | 484.22 | 167 | 2121 |
| Mauritania | $18.6m (2007) | 15870 | 471.63 | 5000 | 20870 |
| Mauritius | $33m | 0 | 0 | 2000 | 2000 |
| Mexico | $3.79bn | 255506 | 232.37 | 39899 | 295405 |
| Moldova | $23.8m | 6000 | 138.75 | 66000 | 72000 |
| Mongolia | $43m (2007) | 10000 | 333.77 | 137000 | 147000 |
| Montenegro | $59m (2007) | 4500 | 663.54 | 10100 | 14600 |
| Morocco | $2.77bn | 195800 | 570.13 | 150000 | 345800 |
| Mozambique | $57m (2007) | 11200 | 52.62 | 11200 | |
| Myanmar | $7.0bn (2007) | 406000 | 850.12 | 107250 | 513250 |
| Namibia | $243m | 9200 | 440.47 | 6000 | 15200 |
| Nepal | $157m | 69000 | 233.75 | 62000 | 131000 |
| Netherlands | $10.93bn | 40537 | 243.53 | 3339 | 43876 |
| New Zealand | $1.22bn | 9278 | 222.31 | 2197 | 11475 |
| Nicaragua | $41m | 12000 | 207.4 | 12000 | |
| Niger | $46m (2007) | 5300 | 39.93 | 5400 | 10700 |
| Nigeria | $1350m | 80000 | 57.85 | 82000 | 162000 |
| Norway | $4.83bn | 19100 | 411.24 | 45250 | 64350 |
| Oman | $3.23bn (2007) | 42600 | 1286.37 | 4400 | 47000 |
| Pakistan | $3.56bn | 617000 | 367.78 | 304000 | 921000 |
| Palestinian Autonomous Areas of Gaza and Jericho | 0 | 0 | 0 | 56000 | 56000 |
| Panama | $226m | 0 | 0 | 12000 | 12000 |
| Papua New Guinea | $39m | 3100 | 52.26 | 3100 | |
| Paraguay | $135m | 10650 | 155.9 | 164500 | 175150 |
| Peru | $1.35bn | 114000 | 390.67 | 188000 | 302000 |
| Philippines | $1.06bn | 106000 | 114.37 | 131000 | 237000 |
| Poland | $8.54bn | 121808 | 316.38 | 222003 | 343811 |
| Portugal | $2.65bn | 42910 | 401.9 | 210900 | 253810 |
| Qatar | $1.09bn (2007) | 11800 | 1270.68 | 11800 | |
| Romania | $2.76bn | 73200 | 329.04 | 45000 | 118200 |
| Russia | $36.35bn | 1027000 | 729.91 | 20000000 | 21027000 |
| Rwanda | $70m | 33000 | 323.97 | 2000 | 35000 |
| Saudi Arabia | $38.2bn | 221500 | 786.54 | 15500 | 237000 |
| Senegal | $193m (2007) | 13620 | 105.97 | 5000 | 18620 |
| Serbia | $943m | 24257 | 238.77 | 54249 | 78506 |
| Seychelles | $11m (2007) | 200 | 243.17 | 450 | 650 |
| Sierra Leone | $22m | 10500 | 166.81 | 10500 | |
| Singapore | $7.34bn | 72500 | 1573.29 | 312500 | 385000 |
| Slovakia | $1.38bn | 17445 | 319.77 | 17445 | |
| Slovenia | $756m | 7200 | 358.62 | 3800 | 11000 |
| Somalia | 0 | 0 | |||
| South Africa | $2.79bn | 62082 | 141.78 | 27453 | 89535 |
| Spain | $11.00bn | 221750 | 547.65 | 319000 | 540750 |
| Sri Lanka | $1.54bn | 150900 | 714.19 | 5500 | 156400 |
| Sudan | 109300 | 271.77 | 85000 | 194300 | |
| Suriname | $22m (2007) | 1840 | 386.56 | 1840 | |
| Sweden | $5.25bn | 16900 | 186.84 | 262000 | 278900 |
| Switzerland | $3.94bn | 22823 | 301.03 | 218200 | 241023 |
| Syria | $1.46bn (2007) | 292600 | 1481.7 | 314000 | 606600 |
| Taiwan (Republic of China) | $10.49bn | 290000 | 1265.22 | 1657000 | 1947000 |
| Tajikistan | $87m (2007) | 8800 | 122.02 | 7500 | 16300 |
| Tanzania | $162m (2007) | 27000 | 67.14 | 80000 | 107000 |
| Thailand | $4.18bn | 306600 | 468.14 | 200000 | 506600 |
| Timor Leste | 455000 | 45010.29 | 5000000 | 5455000 | |
| Togo | $42m (2007) | 8550 | 145.94 | 750 | 9300 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | $55m (2007) | 4063 | 387.93 | 4063 | |
| Tunisia | $470m (2007) | 35800 | 344.78 | 12000 | 47800 |
| Turkey | $8.84bn | 510600 | 710.22 | 378700 | 889300 |
| Turkmenistan | $209m | 22000 | 424.75 | 22000 | |
| Uganda | $224m | 45000 | 143.46 | 1800 | 46800 |
| Ukaraine | $4.7m | 129925 | 282.48 | 1000000 | 1129925 |
| United Arab Emirates | $10.08bn (2007) | 51000 | 1888.89 | 51000 | |
| United Kingdom | $59.7bn | 160280 | 263 | 199280 | 359560 |
| United States | $607bn | 1539587 | 506.74 | 979378 | 2518965 |
| Uruguay | $304m (2007) | 25382 | 736.18 | 25382 | |
| Uzbekistan | $94m (2007) | 67000 | 237.01 | 20000 | 87000 |
| Venezuela | $3.31bn | 115000 | 435.36 | 8000 | 123000 |
| Yemen, Republic of | $908m (2007) | 66700 | 289.83 | 71200 | 137900 |
| Zambia | $247m (2007) | 15100 | 129.4 | 3000 | 18100 |
| Zimbabwe | 29000 | 234.19 | 21800 | 50800 |
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