China vs Russia
China vs Russia: Armed forces personnel
Armed forces personnel in 2020: 2.54 million people in China and 1.45 million people in Russia, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in China, by 1.08 million people, or 1.74 times that in Russia.
people · IISS
What the numbers say
- China has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1992.
- In 2020, China ranked 2 and Russia ranked 4 of 170 countries, counting from the highest.
- The world as a whole: 27.4 million people in 2020.
Every year
people · IISS
| Year | China | Russia | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2.54 million | 1.45 million | 27.4 million |
| 2019 | 2.54 million | 1.45 million | 27.7 million |
| 2018 | 2.7 million | 1.45 million | 27.7 million |
| 2017 | 2.7 million | 1.45 million | 27.4 million |
| 2016 | 2.7 million | 1.45 million | 27.5 million |
| 2015 | 2.84 million | 1.49 million | 27.4 million |
| 2014 | 2.99 million | 1.29 million | 27.3 million |
| 2013 | 2.99 million | 1.26 million | 27.2 million |
| 2012 | 2.99 million | 1.36 million | 28.2 million |
| 2011 | 2.95 million | 1.36 million | 28 million |
| 2010 | 2.95 million | 1.43 million | 28.1 million |
| 2009 | 2.95 million | 1.5 million | 27.9 million |
| 2008 | 2.89 million | 1.48 million | 27.5 million |
| 2007 | 2.89 million | 1.48 million | 27.3 million |
| 2006 | 3.61 million | 1.45 million | 27 million |
| 2005 | 3.76 million | 1.45 million | 28.5 million |
| 2004 | 3.76 million | 1.45 million | 27.1 million |
| 2003 | 3.75 million | 1.37 million | 28.2 million |
| 2002 | 3.77 million | 1.4 million | 28.3 million |
| 2001 | 3.81 million | 1.39 million | 28.2 million |
| 2000 | 3.91 million | 1.43 million | 29.4 million |
| 1999 | 3.82 million | 1.48 million | 29.6 million |
| 1998 | 3.82 million | 1.7 million | 29.9 million |
| 1997 | 3.64 million | 1.82 million | 29.9 million |
| 1996 | 4.14 million | 1.62 million | 30.2 million |
| 1995 | 4.13 million | 1.8 million | 30.2 million |
| 1994 | 2.93 million | 1.4 million | 23.2 million |
| 1993 | 3.03 million | 1.5 million | 23.7 million |
| 1992 | 3.16 million | 1.9 million | 24.5 million |
| 1991 | 3.2 million | – | 22.7 million |
| 1990 | 3.5 million | – | 23.9 million |
| 1989 | 3.9 million | – | 24.3 million |
| 1985 | 3.9 million | – | 22.2 million |
| 1984 | 4.1 million | – | – |
| 1983 | 4.1 million | – | – |
| 1982 | 4.35 million | – | – |
| 1981 | 4.75 million | – | – |
| 1980 | 4.65 million | – | – |
| 1979 | 4.6 million | – | – |
| 1978 | 4.5 million | – | – |
| 1977 | 4.3 million | – | – |
| 1976 | 4.3 million | – | – |
| 1975 | 4.3 million | – | – |
| 1974 | 4.3 million | – | – |
| 1973 | 3.25 million | – | – |
| 1972 | 3.04 million | – | – |
| 1971 | 2.97 million | – | – |
| 1970 | 2.85 million | – | – |
| 1969 | 2.83 million | – | – |
| 1968 | 2.8 million | – | – |
| 1967 | 2.71 million | – | – |
| 1966 | 2.6 million | – | – |
| 1965 | 2.4 million | – | – |
| 1964 | 2.75 million | – | – |
| 1963 | 2.5 million | – | – |
| 1962 | 2.3 million | – | – |
| 1961 | 2.2 million | – | – |
| 1960 | 3.23 million | – | – |
| 1959 | 3.21 million | – | – |
| 1958 | 3.18 million | – | – |
| 1957 | 3.16 million | – | – |
| 1956 | 3.13 million | – | – |
| 1955 | 3 million | – | – |
| 1954 | 3.08 million | – | – |
| 1953 | 3.05 million | – | – |
| 1952 | 3.03 million | – | – |
| 1951 | 3 million | – | – |
| 1950 | 4 million | – | – |
| 1949 | 2.57 million | – | – |
| 1948 | 3.69 million | – | – |
| 1947 | 4.02 million | – | – |
| 1946 | 4.16 million | – | – |
| 1945 | 4.78 million | – | – |
| 1944 | 4.23 million | – | – |
| 1943 | 3.68 million | – | – |
| 1942 | 3.13 million | – | – |
| 1941 | 2.58 million | – | – |
| 1940 | 2.04 million | – | – |
| 1939 | 1.49 million | – | – |
| 1938 | 900,000 | – | – |
| 1937 | 2 million | – | – |
| 1936 | 1.7 million | – | – |
| 1935 | 1.7 million | – | – |
| 1934 | 1.7 million | – | – |
| 1933 | 1.7 million | – | – |
| 1932 | 1.7 million | – | – |
| 1931 | 1.7 million | – | – |
| 1930 | 1.7 million | – | – |
| 1929 | 1.7 million | – | – |
| 1928 | 1.7 million | – | – |
| 1927 | 1.7 million | – | – |
| 1926 | 1.7 million | – | – |
| 1925 | 1.7 million | – | – |
| 1924 | 1.7 million | – | – |
| 1923 | 1.63 million | – | – |
| 1922 | 1.57 million | 3.6 million | – |
| 1921 | 1.5 million | 5.5 million | – |
| 1920 | 1.44 million | 3.05 million | – |
| 1919 | 1.38 million | 1.55 million | – |
| 1918 | 1.3 million | – | – |
| 1917 | 900,000 | – | – |
| 1916 | 850,000 | – | – |
| 1915 | 500,000 | – | – |
| 1914 | 460,000 | – | – |
| 1913 | 450,000 | – | – |
| 1912 | 450,000 | – | – |
| 1911 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1910 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1909 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1908 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1907 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1906 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1905 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1904 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1903 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1902 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1901 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1900 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1899 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1898 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1897 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1896 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1895 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1894 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1893 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1892 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1891 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1890 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1889 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1888 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1887 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1886 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1885 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1884 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1883 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1882 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1881 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1880 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1879 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1878 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1877 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1876 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1875 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1874 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1873 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1872 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1871 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1870 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1869 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1868 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1867 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1866 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1865 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1864 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1863 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1862 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1861 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1860 | 1 million | – | – |
- 12.3Estimates, Correlates of War
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Active-duty military personnel, with paramilitary forces where they are trained and equipped like soldiers, by the IISS Military Balance.
- Source: IISS, The Military Balance, via the World Bank.
- Before 1985: Correlates of War Project, National Material Capabilities v7.0; Singer, Bremer and Stuckey (1972), “Capability Distribution, Uncertainty, and Major Power War, 1820–1965”, in Bruce Russett (ed.), Peace, War, and Numbers, Sage, 19–48.
- Ranks count the 170 countries with a value in 2020, highest first.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
China vs Russia
Health
- Life expectancyChina: 78 years in 2023Russia: 73.2 years in 2023
- Child mortalityChina: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024Russia: 0.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityChina: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023Russia: 3.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionChina: 3.31% in 2017Russia: 3.71% in 2017
- Suicide rateChina: 7.2 per 100,000 people in 2017Russia: 25.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationChina: 1.42 billion people in 2023Russia: 145 million people in 2023
- Population growthChina: -0.24% a year in 2023Russia: -0.32% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateChina: 1 births per woman in 2023Russia: 1.45 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationChina: 66.3% in 2025Russia: 75.3% in 2025
- Median ageChina: 39.1 years in 2023Russia: 39.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overChina: 14.3% in 2023Russia: 16.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateChina: -0.4 per 1,000 people in 2023Russia: 0.2 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingChina: 1.73% of GDP in 2025Russia: 7.5% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsChina: $335B in 2025Russia: $158B in 2025
- Military spending per personChina: $237 in 2025Russia: $1,318 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingChina: 5.1% of government spending in 2025Russia: 19.8% of government spending in 2025
- National powerChina: 23.41% of world capability in 2022Russia: 3.82% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersChina: 0.33% of the labour force in 2020Russia: 1.98% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsChina: 207 million TIV in 2025Russia: 129 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsChina: 880 million TIV in 2025Russia: 1.94 billion TIV in 2025