France vs Germany
France vs Germany: Armed forces personnel
Armed forces personnel in 2020: 304,000 people in France and 183,000 people in Germany, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in France, by 121,000 people, or 1.66 times that in Germany.
people · IISS
What the numbers say
- France has been higher since 1989, when it overtook Germany.
- In 2020, France ranked 23 and Germany ranked 35 of 170 countries, counting from the highest.
- The world as a whole: 27.4 million people in 2020.
Every year
people · IISS
| Year | France | Germany | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 304,000 | 183,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2019 | 304,000 | 184,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2018 | 304,800 | 181,400 | 27.7 million |
| 2017 | 307,000 | 180,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2016 | 306,100 | 179,100 | 27.5 million |
| 2015 | 306,400 | 177,300 | 27.4 million |
| 2014 | 312,400 | 178,600 | 27.3 million |
| 2013 | 318,400 | 181,600 | 27.2 million |
| 2012 | 325,600 | 186,500 | 28.2 million |
| 2011 | 332,300 | 196,000 | 28 million |
| 2010 | 342,000 | 251,500 | 28.1 million |
| 2009 | 342,000 | 251,500 | 27.9 million |
| 2008 | 353,000 | 244,000 | 27.5 million |
| 2007 | 353,000 | 244,000 | 27.3 million |
| 2006 | 354,000 | 246,000 | 27 million |
| 2005 | 359,000 | 285,000 | 28.5 million |
| 2004 | 358,000 | 284,000 | 27.1 million |
| 2003 | 360,400 | 284,500 | 28.2 million |
| 2002 | 361,800 | 296,000 | 28.3 million |
| 2001 | 374,400 | 308,400 | 28.2 million |
| 2000 | 389,400 | 221,100 | 29.4 million |
| 1999 | 411,600 | 331,000 | 29.6 million |
| 1998 | 452,200 | 333,500 | 29.9 million |
| 1997 | 473,100 | 347,100 | 29.9 million |
| 1996 | 491,300 | 383,500 | 30.2 million |
| 1995 | 502,400 | 365,000 | 30.2 million |
| 1994 | 506,000 | 362,000 | 23.2 million |
| 1993 | 506,000 | 398,000 | 23.7 million |
| 1992 | 522,000 | 442,000 | 24.5 million |
| 1991 | 542,000 | 457,000 | 22.7 million |
| 1990 | 550,000 | 545,000 | 23.9 million |
| 1989 | 554,000 | 503,000 | 24.3 million |
| 1985 | 464,300 | 478,000 | 22.2 million |
| 1984 | 571,000 | – | – |
| 1983 | 578,000 | – | – |
| 1982 | 578,000 | – | – |
| 1981 | 575,000 | – | – |
| 1980 | 575,000 | – | – |
| 1979 | 578,000 | – | – |
| 1978 | 581,000 | – | – |
| 1977 | 584,000 | – | – |
| 1976 | 585,000 | – | – |
| 1975 | 585,000 | – | – |
| 1974 | 585,000 | – | – |
| 1973 | 581,000 | – | – |
| 1972 | 560,000 | – | – |
| 1971 | 565,000 | – | – |
| 1970 | 570,000 | – | – |
| 1969 | 570,000 | – | – |
| 1968 | 570,000 | – | – |
| 1967 | 595,000 | – | – |
| 1966 | 580,000 | – | – |
| 1965 | 585,000 | – | – |
| 1964 | 690,000 | – | – |
| 1963 | 735,000 | – | – |
| 1962 | 705,000 | – | – |
| 1961 | 720,000 | – | – |
| 1960 | 1.03 million | – | – |
| 1959 | 992,000 | – | – |
| 1958 | 961,000 | – | – |
| 1957 | 913,000 | – | – |
| 1956 | 856,000 | – | – |
| 1955 | 802,000 | – | – |
| 1954 | 745,000 | – | – |
| 1953 | 699,000 | – | – |
| 1952 | 655,000 | – | – |
| 1951 | 620,000 | – | – |
| 1950 | 595,000 | – | – |
| 1949 | 588,000 | – | – |
| 1948 | 577,000 | – | – |
| 1947 | 580,000 | – | – |
| 1946 | 578,000 | – | – |
| 1945 | 578,000 | 5.3 million | – |
| 1944 | 579,000 | 6.13 million | – |
| 1943 | – | 6.96 million | – |
| 1942 | – | 7.03 million | – |
| 1941 | 373,000 | 7.1 million | – |
| 1940 | 5 million | 3.3 million | – |
| 1939 | 581,000 | 2.75 million | – |
| 1938 | 581,000 | 782,000 | – |
| 1937 | 613,000 | 603,000 | – |
| 1936 | 588,000 | 596,000 | – |
| 1935 | 548,000 | 461,000 | – |
| 1934 | 458,000 | 315,000 | – |
| 1933 | 449,000 | 118,000 | – |
| 1932 | 422,000 | 114,000 | – |
| 1931 | 441,000 | 114,000 | – |
| 1930 | 411,000 | 114,000 | – |
| 1929 | 411,000 | 114,000 | – |
| 1928 | 469,000 | 114,000 | – |
| 1927 | 494,000 | 114,000 | – |
| 1926 | 471,000 | 114,000 | – |
| 1925 | 475,000 | 114,000 | – |
| 1924 | 479,000 | 114,000 | – |
| 1923 | 511,000 | 114,000 | – |
| 1922 | 545,000 | 114,000 | – |
| 1921 | 547,000 | 114,000 | – |
| 1920 | 1.46 million | 114,000 | – |
| 1919 | 2.36 million | 114,000 | – |
| 1918 | 5.28 million | 8 million | – |
| 1917 | 5.14 million | 5.38 million | – |
| 1916 | 5.26 million | 4.58 million | – |
| 1915 | 5 million | 3.82 million | – |
| 1914 | 789,000 | 862,000 | – |
| 1913 | 632,000 | 859,000 | – |
| 1912 | 642,000 | 716,000 | – |
| 1911 | 638,000 | 677,000 | – |
| 1910 | 652,000 | 673,000 | – |
| 1909 | 641,000 | 667,000 | – |
| 1908 | 619,000 | 663,000 | – |
| 1907 | 619,000 | 658,000 | – |
| 1906 | 635,000 | 653,000 | – |
| 1905 | 626,000 | 648,000 | – |
| 1904 | 596,000 | 642,000 | – |
| 1903 | 614,000 | 636,000 | – |
| 1902 | 610,000 | 638,000 | – |
| 1901 | 603,000 | 630,000 | – |
| 1900 | 621,000 | 624,000 | – |
| 1899 | 654,000 | 619,000 | – |
| 1898 | 654,000 | 606,000 | – |
| 1897 | 623,000 | 604,000 | – |
| 1896 | 613,000 | 602,000 | – |
| 1895 | 586,000 | 602,000 | – |
| 1894 | 590,000 | 601,000 | – |
| 1893 | 610,000 | 601,000 | – |
| 1892 | 606,000 | 526,000 | – |
| 1891 | 605,000 | 524,000 | – |
| 1890 | 596,000 | 505,000 | – |
| 1889 | 589,000 | 504,000 | – |
| 1888 | 569,000 | 504,000 | – |
| 1887 | 519,000 | 503,000 | – |
| 1886 | 536,000 | 460,000 | – |
| 1885 | 519,000 | 459,000 | – |
| 1884 | 526,000 | 457,000 | – |
| 1883 | 516,000 | 457,000 | – |
| 1882 | 588,000 | 455,000 | – |
| 1881 | 578,000 | 456,000 | – |
| 1880 | 544,000 | 430,000 | – |
| 1879 | 525,000 | 430,000 | – |
| 1878 | 543,000 | 429,000 | – |
| 1877 | 523,000 | 429,000 | – |
| 1876 | 501,000 | 429,000 | – |
| 1875 | 485,000 | 428,000 | – |
| 1874 | 474,000 | 429,000 | – |
| 1873 | 534,000 | 426,000 | – |
| 1872 | 483,000 | 427,000 | – |
| 1871 | 1 million | – | – |
| 1870 | 452,000 | – | – |
| 1869 | 474,000 | – | – |
| 1868 | 483,000 | – | – |
| 1867 | 461,000 | – | – |
| 1866 | 458,000 | – | – |
| 1865 | 479,000 | – | – |
| 1864 | 487,000 | – | – |
| 1863 | 493,000 | – | – |
| 1862 | 520,000 | – | – |
| 1861 | 528,000 | – | – |
| 1860 | 608,000 | – | – |
| 1859 | 465,000 | – | – |
| 1858 | 427,000 | – | – |
| 1857 | 528,000 | – | – |
| 1856 | 645,000 | – | – |
| 1855 | 645,000 | – | – |
| 1854 | 440,000 | – | – |
| 1853 | 424,000 | – | – |
| 1852 | 397,000 | – | – |
| 1851 | 402,000 | – | – |
| 1850 | 439,000 | – | – |
| 1849 | 465,000 | – | – |
| 1848 | 387,000 | – | – |
| 1847 | 394,000 | – | – |
| 1846 | 388,000 | – | – |
| 1845 | 357,000 | – | – |
| 1844 | 361,000 | – | – |
| 1843 | 397,000 | – | – |
| 1842 | 438,000 | – | – |
| 1841 | 483,000 | – | – |
| 1840 | 446,000 | – | – |
| 1839 | 300,000 | – | – |
| 1838 | 304,000 | – | – |
| 1837 | 307,000 | – | – |
| 1836 | 294,000 | – | – |
| 1835 | 289,000 | – | – |
| 1834 | 267,000 | – | – |
| 1833 | 299,000 | – | – |
| 1832 | 311,000 | – | – |
| 1831 | 373,000 | – | – |
| 1830 | 259,000 | – | – |
| 1829 | 265,000 | – | – |
| 1828 | 247,000 | – | – |
| 1827 | 237,000 | – | – |
| 1826 | 237,000 | – | – |
| 1825 | 237,000 | – | – |
| 1824 | 239,000 | – | – |
| 1823 | 256,000 | – | – |
| 1822 | 243,000 | – | – |
| 1821 | 198,000 | – | – |
| 1820 | 208,000 | – | – |
| 1819 | 182,000 | – | – |
| 1818 | 138,000 | – | – |
| 1817 | 131,000 | – | – |
| 1816 | 132,000 | – | – |
- 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
France vs Germany
Health
- Life expectancyFrance: 83.3 years in 2023Germany: 81.4 years in 2023
- Child mortalityFrance: 0.4 per 100 live births in 2024Germany: 0.4 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityFrance: 3.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023Germany: 3 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterFrance: 99.7% in 2022Germany: 99.9% in 2022
- DepressionFrance: 4.25% in 2017Germany: 3.96% in 2017
- Suicide rateFrance: 12.4 per 100,000 people in 2017Germany: 9.9 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationFrance: 66.4 million people in 2023Germany: 84.6 million people in 2023
- Population growthFrance: 0.17% a year in 2023Germany: 0.35% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateFrance: 1.64 births per woman in 2023Germany: 1.44 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationFrance: 78.8% in 2025Germany: 82.1% in 2025
- Median ageFrance: 41.8 years in 2023Germany: 45.2 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overFrance: 21.8% in 2023Germany: 22.8% in 2023
- Net migration rateFrance: 1.4 per 1,000 people in 2023Germany: 7.2 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingFrance: 2.03% of GDP in 2025Germany: 2.27% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsFrance: $64.5B in 2025Germany: $107B in 2025
- Military spending per personFrance: $1,021 in 2025Germany: $1,346 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingFrance: 3.5% of government spending in 2025Germany: 4.5% of government spending in 2025
- National powerFrance: 1.09% of world capability in 2022Germany: 1.5% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersFrance: 1% of the labour force in 2020Germany: 0.42% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsFrance: 236 million TIV in 2025Germany: 1.63 billion TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsFrance: 3.37 billion TIV in 2025Germany: 1.7 billion TIV in 2025