Japan vs Myanmar (Burma)
Japan vs Myanmar (Burma): Armed forces personnel
Armed forces personnel in 2020: 261,000 people in Japan and 463,000 people in Myanmar (Burma), by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in Myanmar (Burma), by 202,000 people, or 1.77 times that in Japan.
people · IISS
What the numbers say
- Myanmar (Burma) has been higher since 1991, when it overtook Japan.
- In 2020, Japan ranked 27 and Myanmar (Burma) ranked 14 of 170 countries, counting from the highest.
- The world as a whole: 27.4 million people in 2020.
Every year
people · IISS
| Year | Japan | Myanmar (Burma) | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 261,000 | 463,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2019 | 261,000 | 513,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2018 | 261,200 | 513,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2017 | 261,000 | 513,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2016 | 260,900 | 513,300 | 27.5 million |
| 2015 | 259,800 | 513,300 | 27.4 million |
| 2014 | 259,800 | 513,300 | 27.3 million |
| 2013 | 259,800 | 513,300 | 27.2 million |
| 2012 | 259,800 | 513,300 | 28.2 million |
| 2011 | 260,100 | 513,300 | 28 million |
| 2010 | 260,400 | 513,300 | 28.1 million |
| 2009 | 260,400 | 513,300 | 27.9 million |
| 2008 | 242,000 | 513,000 | 27.5 million |
| 2007 | 242,000 | 513,000 | 27.3 million |
| 2006 | 252,000 | 513,000 | 27 million |
| 2005 | 272,000 | 483,000 | 28.5 million |
| 2004 | 251,000 | 482,300 | 27.1 million |
| 2003 | 252,100 | 595,000 | 28.2 million |
| 2002 | 252,100 | 544,300 | 28.3 million |
| 2001 | 252,100 | 444,300 | 28.2 million |
| 2000 | 248,700 | 429,100 | 29.4 million |
| 1999 | 254,600 | 429,100 | 29.6 million |
| 1998 | 254,600 | 434,900 | 29.9 million |
| 1997 | 247,600 | 429,100 | 29.9 million |
| 1996 | 247,500 | 406,300 | 30.2 million |
| 1995 | 251,500 | 371,300 | 30.2 million |
| 1994 | 233,000 | 322,000 | 23.2 million |
| 1993 | 242,000 | 322,000 | 23.7 million |
| 1992 | 242,000 | 286,000 | 24.5 million |
| 1991 | 250,000 | 286,000 | 22.7 million |
| 1990 | 250,000 | 230,000 | 23.9 million |
| 1989 | 247,000 | 200,000 | 24.3 million |
| 1985 | 243,000 | 186,000 | 22.2 million |
| 1984 | 241,000 | 181,000 | – |
| 1983 | 241,000 | 179,000 | – |
| 1982 | 243,000 | 210,000 | – |
| 1981 | 241,000 | 210,000 | – |
| 1980 | 242,000 | 179,000 | – |
| 1979 | 239,000 | 212,000 | – |
| 1978 | 239,000 | 212,000 | – |
| 1977 | 236,000 | 208,000 | – |
| 1976 | 236,000 | 210,000 | – |
| 1975 | 237,000 | 209,000 | – |
| 1974 | 237,000 | 202,000 | – |
| 1973 | 233,000 | 198,000 | – |
| 1972 | 233,000 | 191,000 | – |
| 1971 | 234,000 | 175,000 | – |
| 1970 | 236,000 | 174,000 | – |
| 1969 | 236,000 | 173,000 | – |
| 1968 | 235,000 | 136,000 | – |
| 1967 | 231,000 | 136,000 | – |
| 1966 | 227,000 | 135,000 | – |
| 1965 | 246,000 | 133,000 | – |
| 1964 | 244,000 | 123,000 | – |
| 1963 | 243,000 | 105,000 | – |
| 1962 | 235,000 | 100,000 | – |
| 1961 | 230,000 | 90,000 | – |
| 1960 | 263,000 | 79,000 | – |
| 1959 | 255,000 | 67,000 | – |
| 1958 | 243,000 | 56,000 | – |
| 1957 | 224,000 | 44,000 | – |
| 1956 | 215,000 | 33,000 | – |
| 1955 | 196,000 | 25,000 | – |
| 1954 | 165,000 | 19,000 | – |
| 1953 | 123,000 | 14,000 | – |
| 1952 | 119,000 | 10,000 | – |
| 1951 | – | 8,000 | – |
| 1950 | – | 6,000 | – |
| 1949 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1948 | – | 3,000 | – |
| 1945 | 6.1 million | – | – |
| 1944 | 4.33 million | – | – |
| 1943 | 3.08 million | – | – |
| 1942 | 3.08 million | – | – |
| 1941 | 3.08 million | – | – |
| 1940 | 957,000 | – | – |
| 1939 | 957,000 | – | – |
| 1938 | 370,000 | – | – |
| 1937 | 393,000 | – | – |
| 1936 | 416,000 | – | – |
| 1935 | 410,000 | – | – |
| 1934 | 399,000 | – | – |
| 1933 | 371,000 | – | – |
| 1932 | 370,000 | – | – |
| 1931 | 292,000 | – | – |
| 1930 | 293,000 | – | – |
| 1929 | 296,000 | – | – |
| 1928 | 285,000 | – | – |
| 1927 | 274,000 | – | – |
| 1926 | 302,000 | – | – |
| 1925 | 306,000 | – | – |
| 1924 | 306,000 | – | – |
| 1923 | 306,000 | – | – |
| 1922 | 306,000 | – | – |
| 1921 | 306,000 | – | – |
| 1920 | 306,000 | – | – |
| 1919 | 306,000 | – | – |
| 1918 | 660,000 | – | – |
| 1917 | 660,000 | – | – |
| 1916 | 650,000 | – | – |
| 1915 | 650,000 | – | – |
| 1914 | 300,000 | – | – |
| 1913 | 296,000 | – | – |
| 1912 | 275,000 | – | – |
| 1911 | 274,000 | – | – |
| 1910 | 283,000 | – | – |
| 1909 | 273,000 | – | – |
| 1908 | 273,000 | – | – |
| 1907 | 262,000 | – | – |
| 1906 | 266,000 | – | – |
| 1905 | 250,000 | – | – |
| 1904 | 218,000 | – | – |
| 1903 | 214,000 | – | – |
| 1902 | 209,000 | – | – |
| 1901 | 206,000 | – | – |
| 1900 | 182,000 | – | – |
| 1899 | 147,000 | – | – |
| 1898 | 156,000 | – | – |
| 1897 | 132,000 | – | – |
| 1896 | 103,000 | – | – |
| 1895 | 207,000 | – | – |
| 1894 | 83,000 | – | – |
| 1893 | 71,000 | – | – |
| 1892 | 79,000 | – | – |
| 1891 | 89,000 | – | – |
| 1890 | 71,000 | – | – |
| 1889 | 69,000 | – | – |
| 1888 | 62,000 | – | – |
| 1887 | 62,000 | – | – |
| 1886 | 56,000 | – | – |
| 1885 | 52,000 | – | – |
| 1884 | 48,000 | – | – |
| 1883 | 48,000 | – | – |
| 1882 | 47,000 | – | – |
| 1881 | 46,000 | – | – |
| 1880 | 45,000 | – | – |
| 1879 | 44,000 | – | – |
| 1878 | 43,000 | – | – |
| 1877 | 38,000 | – | – |
| 1876 | 37,000 | – | – |
| 1875 | 41,000 | – | – |
| 1874 | 41,000 | – | – |
| 1873 | 40,000 | – | – |
| 1872 | 20,000 | – | – |
| 1871 | 17,000 | – | – |
| 1870 | 6,000 | – | – |
| 1869 | 6,000 | – | – |
| 1868 | 0 | – | – |
| 1867 | 0 | – | – |
| 1866 | 0 | – | – |
| 1865 | 0 | – | – |
| 1864 | 0 | – | – |
| 1863 | 0 | – | – |
| 1862 | 12,000 | – | – |
| 1861 | 12,000 | – | – |
| 1860 | 12,000 | – | – |
- 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
Japan vs Myanmar (Burma)
Health
- Life expectancyJapan: 84.7 years in 2023Myanmar (Burma): 66.9 years in 2023
- Child mortalityJapan: 0.2 per 100 live births in 2024Myanmar (Burma): 3.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityJapan: 1.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023Myanmar (Burma): 31.8 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterJapan: 98.7% in 2022Myanmar (Burma): 57.4% in 2022
- DepressionJapan: 3.34% in 2017Myanmar (Burma): 2.3% in 2017
- Suicide rateJapan: 15.7 per 100,000 people in 2017Myanmar (Burma): 5 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationJapan: 124 million people in 2023Myanmar (Burma): 54.1 million people in 2023
- Population growthJapan: -0.48% a year in 2023Myanmar (Burma): 0.69% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateJapan: 1.21 births per woman in 2023Myanmar (Burma): 2.12 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationJapan: 92.3% in 2025Myanmar (Burma): 30.6% in 2025
- Median ageJapan: 49 years in 2023Myanmar (Burma): 29.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overJapan: 29.6% in 2023Myanmar (Burma): 7.1% in 2023
- Net migration rateJapan: 1.4 per 1,000 people in 2023Myanmar (Burma): -0.6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingJapan: 1.41% of GDP in 2025Myanmar (Burma): 6.61% of GDP in 2024
- Military spending in US dollarsJapan: $59.5B in 2025Myanmar (Burma): $4.65B in 2024
- Military spending per personJapan: $504 in 2025Myanmar (Burma): $92 in 2024
- Military share of state spendingJapan: 3.8% of government spending in 2025Myanmar (Burma): 32% of government spending in 2024
- National powerJapan: 2.47% of world capability in 2022Myanmar (Burma): 0.53% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersJapan: 0.38% of the labour force in 2020Myanmar (Burma): 1.94% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsJapan: 1.72 billion TIV in 2025Myanmar (Burma): 70 million TIV in 2025