India vs Sri Lanka
India vs Sri Lanka: Armed forces personnel
Armed forces personnel in 2020: 3.07 million people in India and 317,000 people in Sri Lanka, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in India, by 2.75 million people, or 9.68 times that in Sri Lanka.
people · IISS
What the numbers say
- India has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1985.
- In 2020, India ranked 1 and Sri Lanka ranked 22 of 170 countries, counting from the highest.
- The world as a whole: 27.4 million people in 2020.
Every year
people · IISS
| Year | India | Sri Lanka | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 3.07 million | 317,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2019 | 3.05 million | 317,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2018 | 3.03 million | 317,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2017 | 3.03 million | 317,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2016 | 2.98 million | 305,200 | 27.5 million |
| 2015 | 2.8 million | 265,200 | 27.4 million |
| 2014 | 2.75 million | 223,100 | 27.3 million |
| 2013 | 2.75 million | 223,100 | 27.2 million |
| 2012 | 2.73 million | 223,100 | 28.2 million |
| 2011 | 2.65 million | 223,100 | 28 million |
| 2010 | 2.63 million | 223,100 | 28.1 million |
| 2009 | 2.63 million | 223,100 | 27.9 million |
| 2008 | 2.58 million | 213,000 | 27.5 million |
| 2007 | 2.58 million | 213,000 | 27.3 million |
| 2006 | 2.59 million | 213,000 | 27 million |
| 2005 | 3.05 million | 200,000 | 28.5 million |
| 2004 | 2.62 million | 239,000 | 27.1 million |
| 2003 | 2.42 million | 240,900 | 28.2 million |
| 2002 | 2.39 million | 246,500 | 28.3 million |
| 2001 | 2.35 million | 209,600 | 28.2 million |
| 2000 | 2.37 million | 203,600 | 29.4 million |
| 1999 | 2.26 million | 218,300 | 29.6 million |
| 1998 | 2.27 million | 225,200 | 29.9 million |
| 1997 | 2.23 million | 227,200 | 29.9 million |
| 1996 | 2.22 million | 225,200 | 30.2 million |
| 1995 | 2.15 million | 235,500 | 30.2 million |
| 1994 | 1.27 million | 110,000 | 23.2 million |
| 1993 | 1.27 million | 110,000 | 23.7 million |
| 1992 | 1.27 million | 110,000 | 24.5 million |
| 1991 | 1.27 million | 110,000 | 22.7 million |
| 1990 | 1.26 million | 22,000 | 23.9 million |
| 1989 | 1.26 million | 22,000 | 24.3 million |
| 1985 | 1.26 million | 21,600 | 22.2 million |
| 1984 | 1.12 million | 17,000 | – |
| 1983 | 1.1 million | 16,000 | – |
| 1982 | 1.12 million | 18,000 | – |
| 1981 | 1.1 million | 18,000 | – |
| 1980 | 1.1 million | 18,000 | – |
| 1979 | 1.29 million | 18,000 | – |
| 1978 | 1.3 million | 13,000 | – |
| 1977 | 1.27 million | 18,000 | – |
| 1976 | 1.44 million | 18,000 | – |
| 1975 | 1.67 million | 18,000 | – |
| 1974 | 1.62 million | 18,000 | – |
| 1973 | 1.62 million | 18,000 | – |
| 1972 | 1.59 million | 16,000 | – |
| 1971 | 1.56 million | 10,000 | – |
| 1970 | 1.55 million | 10,000 | – |
| 1969 | 1.51 million | 10,000 | – |
| 1968 | 1.48 million | 10,000 | – |
| 1967 | 1.42 million | 10,000 | – |
| 1966 | 1.4 million | 10,000 | – |
| 1965 | 1.22 million | 9,000 | – |
| 1964 | 1.22 million | 9,000 | – |
| 1963 | 1.08 million | 11,000 | – |
| 1962 | 800,000 | 10,000 | – |
| 1961 | 775,000 | 10,000 | – |
| 1960 | 535,000 | 6,000 | – |
| 1959 | 535,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1958 | 490,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1957 | 445,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1956 | 400,000 | 1,000 | – |
| 1955 | 391,000 | 1,000 | – |
| 1954 | 381,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1953 | 371,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1952 | 361,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1951 | 351,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1950 | 341,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1949 | 331,000 | 1,000 | – |
| 1948 | 321,000 | 0 | – |
| 1947 | 311,000 | – | – |
- 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
India vs Sri Lanka
Health
- Life expectancyIndia: 72 years in 2023Sri Lanka: 77.5 years in 2023
- Child mortalityIndia: 2.7 per 100 live births in 2024Sri Lanka: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityIndia: 22.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023Sri Lanka: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionIndia: 3.53% in 2017Sri Lanka: 3.44% in 2017
- Suicide rateIndia: 15.6 per 100,000 people in 2017Sri Lanka: 19.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationIndia: 1.44 billion people in 2023Sri Lanka: 23 million people in 2023
- Population growthIndia: 0.89% a year in 2023Sri Lanka: 0.58% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateIndia: 1.98 births per woman in 2023Sri Lanka: 1.97 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationIndia: 35.7% in 2025Sri Lanka: 20.5% in 2025
- Median ageIndia: 28.1 years in 2023Sri Lanka: 32.8 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overIndia: 6.9% in 2023Sri Lanka: 11.7% in 2023
- Net migration rateIndia: -0.7 per 1,000 people in 2023Sri Lanka: -1.2 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingIndia: 2.3% of GDP in 2025Sri Lanka: 1.31% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsIndia: $93.3B in 2025Sri Lanka: $1.36B in 2025
- Military spending per personIndia: $63 in 2025Sri Lanka: $60 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingIndia: 8.2% of government spending in 2025Sri Lanka: 4.9% of government spending in 2025
- National powerIndia: 9.94% of world capability in 2022Sri Lanka: 0.31% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersIndia: 0.58% of the labour force in 2020Sri Lanka: 3.74% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsIndia: 2.86 billion TIV in 2025Sri Lanka: 11 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsIndia: 81 million TIV in 2025Sri Lanka: 8 million TIV in 1998