China vs Thailand
China vs Thailand: Armed forces personnel
Armed forces personnel in 2020: 2.54 million people in China and 455,000 people in Thailand, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in China, by 2.08 million people, or 5.57 times that in Thailand.
people · IISS
What the numbers say
- China has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1985.
- In 2020, China ranked 2 and Thailand ranked 16 of 170 countries, counting from the highest.
- The world as a whole: 27.4 million people in 2020.
Every year
people · IISS
| Year | China | Thailand | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2.54 million | 455,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2019 | 2.54 million | 455,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2018 | 2.7 million | 454,900 | 27.7 million |
| 2017 | 2.7 million | 455,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2016 | 2.7 million | 454,600 | 27.5 million |
| 2015 | 2.84 million | 454,600 | 27.4 million |
| 2014 | 2.99 million | 453,600 | 27.3 million |
| 2013 | 2.99 million | 453,600 | 27.2 million |
| 2012 | 2.99 million | 453,600 | 28.2 million |
| 2011 | 2.95 million | 474,600 | 28 million |
| 2010 | 2.95 million | 419,600 | 28.1 million |
| 2009 | 2.95 million | 419,600 | 27.9 million |
| 2008 | 2.89 million | 421,000 | 27.5 million |
| 2007 | 2.89 million | 420,000 | 27.3 million |
| 2006 | 3.61 million | 420,000 | 27 million |
| 2005 | 3.76 million | 421,000 | 28.5 million |
| 2004 | 3.76 million | 419,000 | 27.1 million |
| 2003 | 3.75 million | 427,200 | 28.2 million |
| 2002 | 3.77 million | 419,000 | 28.3 million |
| 2001 | 3.81 million | 410,000 | 28.2 million |
| 2000 | 3.91 million | 416,600 | 29.4 million |
| 1999 | 3.82 million | 377,000 | 29.6 million |
| 1998 | 3.82 million | 377,000 | 29.9 million |
| 1997 | 3.64 million | 337,000 | 29.9 million |
| 1996 | 4.14 million | 393,500 | 30.2 million |
| 1995 | 4.13 million | 420,500 | 30.2 million |
| 1994 | 2.93 million | 290,000 | 23.2 million |
| 1993 | 3.03 million | 295,000 | 23.7 million |
| 1992 | 3.16 million | 283,000 | 24.5 million |
| 1991 | 3.2 million | 283,000 | 22.7 million |
| 1990 | 3.5 million | 283,000 | 23.9 million |
| 1989 | 3.9 million | 283,000 | 24.3 million |
| 1985 | 3.9 million | 235,300 | 22.2 million |
| 1984 | 4.1 million | 235,000 | – |
| 1983 | 4.1 million | 233,000 | – |
| 1982 | 4.35 million | 250,000 | – |
| 1981 | 4.75 million | 250,000 | – |
| 1980 | 4.65 million | 234,000 | – |
| 1979 | 4.6 million | 250,000 | – |
| 1978 | 4.5 million | 250,000 | – |
| 1977 | 4.3 million | 230,000 | – |
| 1976 | 4.3 million | 228,000 | – |
| 1975 | 4.3 million | 227,000 | – |
| 1974 | 4.3 million | 221,000 | – |
| 1973 | 3.25 million | 233,000 | – |
| 1972 | 3.04 million | 205,000 | – |
| 1971 | 2.97 million | 195,000 | – |
| 1970 | 2.85 million | 175,000 | – |
| 1969 | 2.83 million | 175,000 | – |
| 1968 | 2.8 million | 167,000 | – |
| 1967 | 2.71 million | 151,000 | – |
| 1966 | 2.6 million | 151,000 | – |
| 1965 | 2.4 million | 132,000 | – |
| 1964 | 2.75 million | 85,000 | – |
| 1963 | 2.5 million | 85,000 | – |
| 1962 | 2.3 million | 83,000 | – |
| 1961 | 2.2 million | 80,000 | – |
| 1960 | 3.23 million | 97,000 | – |
| 1959 | 3.21 million | 99,000 | – |
| 1958 | 3.18 million | 100,000 | – |
| 1957 | 3.16 million | 100,000 | – |
| 1956 | 3.13 million | 50,000 | – |
| 1955 | 3 million | 45,000 | – |
| 1954 | 3.08 million | 45,000 | – |
| 1953 | 3.05 million | 45,000 | – |
| 1952 | 3.03 million | 44,000 | – |
| 1951 | 3 million | 44,000 | – |
| 1950 | 4 million | 44,000 | – |
| 1949 | 2.57 million | 44,000 | – |
| 1948 | 3.69 million | 44,000 | – |
| 1947 | 4.02 million | 44,000 | – |
| 1946 | 4.16 million | 44,000 | – |
| 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 | 31,000 | – |
| 1938 | 900,000 | 38,000 | – |
| 1937 | 2 million | 35,000 | – |
| 1936 | 1.7 million | 32,000 | – |
| 1935 | 1.7 million | 27,000 | – |
| 1934 | 1.7 million | 27,000 | – |
| 1933 | 1.7 million | 27,000 | – |
| 1932 | 1.7 million | 30,000 | – |
| 1931 | 1.7 million | 30,000 | – |
| 1930 | 1.7 million | 28,000 | – |
| 1929 | 1.7 million | 28,000 | – |
| 1928 | 1.7 million | 27,000 | – |
| 1927 | 1.7 million | 27,000 | – |
| 1926 | 1.7 million | 26,000 | – |
| 1925 | 1.7 million | 25,000 | – |
| 1924 | 1.7 million | 26,000 | – |
| 1923 | 1.63 million | 26,000 | – |
| 1922 | 1.57 million | 24,000 | – |
| 1921 | 1.5 million | 25,000 | – |
| 1920 | 1.44 million | 25,000 | – |
| 1919 | 1.38 million | 25,000 | – |
| 1918 | 1.3 million | 32,000 | – |
| 1917 | 900,000 | 32,000 | – |
| 1916 | 850,000 | 32,000 | – |
| 1915 | 500,000 | 32,000 | – |
| 1914 | 460,000 | 32,000 | – |
| 1913 | 450,000 | 31,000 | – |
| 1912 | 450,000 | 31,000 | – |
| 1911 | 1 million | 31,000 | – |
| 1910 | 1 million | 31,000 | – |
| 1909 | 1 million | 31,000 | – |
| 1908 | 1 million | 31,000 | – |
| 1907 | 1 million | 26,000 | – |
| 1906 | 1 million | 16,000 | – |
| 1905 | 1 million | 18,000 | – |
| 1904 | 1 million | 18,000 | – |
| 1903 | 1 million | 18,000 | – |
| 1902 | 1 million | 10,000 | – |
| 1901 | 1 million | 4,000 | – |
| 1900 | 1 million | 10,000 | – |
| 1899 | 1 million | 6,000 | – |
| 1898 | 1 million | 6,000 | – |
| 1897 | 1 million | 6,000 | – |
| 1896 | 1 million | 6,000 | – |
| 1895 | 1 million | 6,000 | – |
| 1894 | 1 million | 6,000 | – |
| 1893 | 1 million | 5,000 | – |
| 1892 | 1 million | 15,000 | – |
| 1891 | 1 million | 15,000 | – |
| 1890 | 1 million | 15,000 | – |
| 1889 | 1 million | 15,000 | – |
| 1888 | 1 million | 15,000 | – |
| 1887 | 1 million | 15,000 | – |
| 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 Thailand
Health
- Life expectancyChina: 78 years in 2023Thailand: 76.4 years in 2023
- Child mortalityChina: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024Thailand: 0.9 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityChina: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023Thailand: 6.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionChina: 3.31% in 2017Thailand: 3.09% in 2017
- Suicide rateChina: 7.2 per 100,000 people in 2017Thailand: 10.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationChina: 1.42 billion people in 2023Thailand: 71.7 million people in 2023
- Population growthChina: -0.24% a year in 2023Thailand: -0.04% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateChina: 1 births per woman in 2023Thailand: 1.21 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationChina: 66.3% in 2025Thailand: 62.8% in 2025
- Median ageChina: 39.1 years in 2023Thailand: 39.7 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overChina: 14.3% in 2023Thailand: 14.7% in 2023
- Net migration rateChina: -0.4 per 1,000 people in 2023Thailand: 0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingChina: 1.73% of GDP in 2025Thailand: 1.04% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsChina: $335B in 2025Thailand: $5.57B in 2025
- Military spending per personChina: $237 in 2025Thailand: $84 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingChina: 5.1% of government spending in 2025Thailand: 4.4% of government spending in 2025
- National powerChina: 23.41% of world capability in 2022Thailand: 0.79% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersChina: 0.33% of the labour force in 2020Thailand: 1.13% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsChina: 207 million TIV in 2025Thailand: 33 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsChina: 880 million TIV in 2025Thailand: 15 million TIV in 2024