India

Armed forces personnel in India

Armed forces personnel in India: 1.26 million people in 1985 and 3.07 million people in 2020, by IISS estimates.

Latest, 2020
3.07 million people
Since 1985
+1.81 million people
Rank, 2020
1 of 170
counting from the highest
World, 2020
27.4 million people
Watch it change on the map

people · IISS

Armed forces personnel in IndiaArmed forces personnel in India: 1.26 million people in 1985 and 3.07 million people in 2020, by IISS estimates. In 2020, India had the highest value of 170 countries.
Estimates, IISSEstimates, Correlates of WarWorld

What the numbers say

  • Older estimates from Correlates of War reach back to 1947: 311,000 people.

Every year

people · IISS

YearIndiaWorld
20203.07 million27.4 million
20193.05 million27.7 million
20183.03 million27.7 million
20173.03 million27.4 million
20162.98 million27.5 million
20152.8 million27.4 million
20142.75 million27.3 million
20132.75 million27.2 million
20122.73 million28.2 million
20112.65 million28 million
20102.63 million28.1 million
20092.63 million27.9 million
20082.58 million27.5 million
20072.58 million27.3 million
20062.59 million27 million
20053.05 million28.5 million
20042.62 million27.1 million
20032.42 million28.2 million
20022.39 million28.3 million
20012.35 million28.2 million
20002.37 million29.4 million
19992.26 million29.6 million
19982.27 million29.9 million
19972.23 million29.9 million
19962.22 million30.2 million
19952.15 million30.2 million
19941.27 million23.2 million
19931.27 million23.7 million
19921.27 million24.5 million
19911.27 million22.7 million
19901.26 million23.9 million
19891.26 million24.3 million
19851.26 million22.2 million
19841.12 million–
19831.1 million–
19821.12 million–
19811.1 million–
19801.1 million–
19791.29 million–
19781.3 million–
19771.27 million–
19761.44 million–
19751.67 million–
19741.62 million–
19731.62 million–
19721.59 million–
19711.56 million–
19701.55 million–
19691.51 million–
19681.48 million–
19671.42 million–
19661.4 million–
19651.22 million–
19641.22 million–
19631.08 million–
1962800,000–
1961775,000–
1960535,000–
1959535,000–
1958490,000–
1957445,000–
1956400,000–
1955391,000–
1954381,000–
1953371,000–
1952361,000–
1951351,000–
1950341,000–
1949331,000–
1948321,000–
1947311,000–
  • 12.3Estimates, Correlates of War

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

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