Top 100 Strongest Armies In The World (2024)

There are two factors that are majorly used in the rankings of the world’s top armies; fire power, and the size of the armies. The idea obviously is that if an army should ever run out of firepower, then it can throw human bodies at the enemy until it changes the direction of the outcome.

War is a terrible thing to consider; but it can be considered a necessary evil because with the capacity for warfare countries and societies would not be able to defend all the progress they have made in economics, art, commerce, education and so on.

The following armies therefore, are evidence of their countries military might, which is necessary to protect the peace.

Top 100 Strongest Armies In The World

1. US Army

The US Army is the army of the United States of America; and one of the 8 uniformed services in America. This is the land based military force of the United States; but is also capable of aerial and sea combat.

It was established in 1775; and has risen to rank above every other military in the world due to the superiority in so many engagements throughout the years. It is the best armed, trained and organized army in the world, and it is also the best organized.

The US Army has a total of around 966,193 total uniformed personnel as well as 330,000 civilian personnel. The breakdown is 463,083 active duty personnel, 327,358 Army National Guard personnel, and then 175,752 Army Reserve personnel.

The US Army has fought several engagements over the years; including the US intervention in Mexico, World War I, World War II, Cold War, Vietnam War, and many others. Most of these engagements have resulted in victories for the US forces.

2. Russia

Russia is perhaps the most feared country in the world, and this is because of the antecedents of the Russian Armed Forces. This is one of the best trained military forces in the world, and they are known to go to extreme lengths during their training.

Russia maintains the world’s largest stockpile of nuclear weapons; it also has one of the world’s biggest fleets of ballistic missile submarines. It is not clear how this army is operated; but reports indicate that there is some degree of separation between the Ground Forces, Navy, Aerospace Forces, and the Airborne Forces.

As for size; the Russian Armed Forces has 1.15 million personnel, with another 2 million in reserve. It uses a conscription system that drafts young people into military service from the age of 18.

3. China

The People’s Liberation Army is the principal military force for the defense of the People’s Republic of China. It is largely acknowledged as the third force in terms of military strength in the world, but in terms of size of the army, it holds the first position with 2,035,000 (2 million) active personnel. It also has another 500,000 soldiers in reserve.

The people’s liberation army is one of the best trained and coordinated armies in the world; and even though its strength in numbers is quite great, it has even greater potential because it has an almost limitless supply of people- china has a population of more than 1.2 billion people; and there is a conscription law even though it has never been enforced since the 1940’s.

China already has fearsome fighter jets, ships, submarines and nuclear warheads, but if the information from the United States Department of Defense is correct; the country is also developing

China is developing high-powered lasers, high-powered microwave weapons, kinetic-energy weapons, particle-beam weapons, and electromagnetic pulse weapons.

4. India

India is considered to have one of the world’s strongest armies, even if it does not have the correct political and economic structure. India military force is divided into several parts; but the Indian Army is the largest part, and is concerned with land warfare.

The India Army was established in 1950, and it the second largest in Asia with 1,237,117 active personnel, and 960,000 reserve personnel. The Indian Army is so large that if it invaded another country with its full force; there would hardly be enough ground for its men to cover. The army has around 296 manned aircraft.

The Indian Army has distinguished itself in a number of engagements including the World War II, Annexation of Hyderabad, First Kashmir War, Korean War, and Indo Pakistani War.

The Indian Army is heavily armed; it has small arms, artillery, surface to air missiles, attack helicopters, and 296 manned aircraft. India is developing sophisticated weapons to greatly increase the capacity of its soldiers; helmets with night vision sensors, rifles with grenade launchers and powerful armor.

5. British Army

The United Kingdom is one of the world’s most powerful countries but not by the size of its army. The British army was established in 1707 (more enthusiastic writers claim 1660) and is the land arm of the British armed forces.

The British army has a personnel strength of 114,210 which is made up of 78,060 regular full-time personnel, 4,060 Gurkhas, 27,570 volunteer reserve personnel, and some other personnel numbering some 4,520.

The British army is armed with rifles, tanks, helicopters, and machine guns which offer support fire for the ground troops. It also has multi launch rocket systems, as well as a range of armored cars and other protected heavy vehicles.

It has many overseas command posts which are more than ordinary training facilities; those overseas posts are forward operating bases which enable the British army to launch preemptive attacks.

6. South Korea

South Korea is mostly considered as a peaceful country but what most people do not know is that it has one of the top armies in the world in terms of training; armament, and organization. This army is also very well equipped.

The Republic of Korea Armed Forces was established in 1948, and is made up of the Army, Navy and Air Force. It has a personnel strength of 500,000, and another 3,100,000 in reserve. The country has conscription laws in place; but it is quite flexible; citizens are required to enlist between the ages of 18 to 28, and the service may last 2 years.

South Korea’s army is equipped with a mix of older weapons and new, sophisticated weapons including rifle, artillery, machine guns, rockets and so on.

7. Pakistan

Pakistan is the country keeping India on its toes. It too is a top military country although of somewhat smaller proportions. The Pakistan army was established in 1947, and is the land part of the Pakistani armed forces. It has a personnel strength of 560,000 active-duty personnel, and another 550,000 as part of the reserve force. It also has a national guard of 185,000, and 16,500 civilian personnel. The Pakistan army has 560+ manned aircraft.

The Pakistani army is no pushover; it has proved itself in a number of engagements such as the Indo- Pakistan War of 1965, which resulted in a stalemate. Other engagements have largely been local.

The Pakistani army is equipped with a wide variety of arms and armaments some of which are produced locally. The country produces, tanks, rockets, and heavy tank guns. The army also uses sophisticated rifles, helicopters, and other equipment.

8. Japan

The japan Self Defence force is the name of the Japanese military; it was founded in 1954. It is broken into various divisions, with the Japan Ground Self Defense Force being the defacto army. The Japan Self Defense Force has a total of 310,000 personnel; with 247,150 of that number being active duty personnel, while the other 56,000 being reserve personnel.

Japan has spent a lot of resources improving the equipment of its army; it has varying sizes and types of tanks and helicopters as well as artillery and machine guns. Soldiers are usually armed with US made rifles. Mobility is provided by light vehicles as well as heavier, armored personnel carriers.

9. France

The French Army; also known as the Army of Land, is the principal land force of France. It was established in 1445, and has probably fought in more conflicts than any other army in the world. According to a military historian the French Army is the most successful army in the world; although by that calculation events that happened in the ancient and medieval periods are also counted.

The French army of today is quite a large army; it is made up of 118,600 active personnel, and another 23,000 reserve personnel. It is very well equipped; it has tanks, helicopters, planes, and armoured personnel carriers. Soldiers are usually armed with rifles, and they are supported by machine guns.

10. Italy

The Italian army was formed in 1861, and it is the primary land based fighting force of Italy. It consists of around 97,775 soldiers, and although there must be some personnel in reserve, that number is not known.

This army has fought many engagements including Italo-Ethiopian War, World War I, World War II, Gulf War, Kosovo War, and the Global War on Terrorism. It was in the later engagements that this army managed to redeem its image.

The Italian Army is armed with rifles, tanks, machine guns, and other assorted armaments. Most of its tanks and helicopters are also locally made.

The following is a more extensive list of the strongest armies in the world.

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Closing

An interesting thing to note about this list of the strongest armies in the world is that some of the countries on this list have been peaceful for many years; but they recognize the need to defend that peace by staying sharp and well equipped.