North Korea
Armed forces personnel in North Korea
Armed forces personnel in North Korea: 838,000 people in 1985 and 1.47 million people in 2020, by IISS estimates.
- Latest, 2020
- 1.47 million people
- Since 1985
- +631,000 people
- Rank, 2020
- 3 of 170
- counting from the highest
- World, 2020
- 27.4 million people
people · IISS
What the numbers say
- The highest was 1.47 million people in 2016, the lowest 838,000 people in 1985.
- Older estimates from Correlates of War reach back to 1948: 200,000 people.
Every year
people · IISS
| Year | North Korea | World |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1.47 million | 27.4 million |
| 2019 | 1.47 million | 27.7 million |
| 2018 | 1.47 million | 27.7 million |
| 2017 | 1.47 million | 27.4 million |
| 2016 | 1.47 million | 27.5 million |
| 2015 | 1.38 million | 27.4 million |
| 2014 | 1.38 million | 27.3 million |
| 2013 | 1.38 million | 27.2 million |
| 2012 | 1.38 million | 28.2 million |
| 2011 | 1.38 million | 28 million |
| 2010 | 1.38 million | 28.1 million |
| 2009 | 1.38 million | 27.9 million |
| 2008 | 1.3 million | 27.5 million |
| 2007 | 1.3 million | 27.3 million |
| 2006 | 1.3 million | 27 million |
| 2005 | 1.3 million | 28.5 million |
| 2004 | 1.3 million | 27.1 million |
| 2003 | 1.27 million | 28.2 million |
| 2002 | 1.27 million | 28.3 million |
| 2001 | 1.27 million | 28.2 million |
| 2000 | 1.24 million | 29.4 million |
| 1999 | 1.24 million | 29.6 million |
| 1998 | 1.24 million | 29.9 million |
| 1997 | 1.24 million | 29.9 million |
| 1996 | 1.17 million | 30.2 million |
| 1995 | 1.24 million | 30.2 million |
| 1994 | 1.1 million | 23.2 million |
| 1993 | 1.1 million | 23.7 million |
| 1992 | 1.2 million | 24.5 million |
| 1991 | 1.2 million | 22.7 million |
| 1990 | 1.2 million | 23.9 million |
| 1989 | 1.04 million | 24.3 million |
| 1985 | 838,000 | 22.2 million |
| 1984 | 784,000 | – |
| 1983 | 784,000 | – |
| 1982 | 782,000 | – |
| 1981 | 768,000 | – |
| 1980 | 700,000 | – |
| 1979 | 692,000 | – |
| 1978 | 632,000 | – |
| 1977 | 520,000 | – |
| 1976 | 500,000 | – |
| 1975 | 470,000 | – |
| 1974 | 470,000 | – |
| 1973 | 470,000 | – |
| 1972 | 460,000 | – |
| 1971 | 450,000 | – |
| 1970 | 438,000 | – |
| 1969 | 410,000 | – |
| 1968 | 410,000 | – |
| 1967 | 383,000 | – |
| 1966 | 383,000 | – |
| 1965 | 378,000 | – |
| 1964 | 362,000 | – |
| 1963 | 352,000 | – |
| 1962 | 380,000 | – |
| 1961 | 390,000 | – |
| 1960 | 400,000 | – |
| 1959 | 380,000 | – |
| 1958 | 360,000 | – |
| 1957 | 340,000 | – |
| 1956 | 320,000 | – |
| 1955 | 300,000 | – |
| 1954 | 280,000 | – |
| 1953 | 260,000 | – |
| 1952 | 211,000 | – |
| 1951 | 100,000 | – |
| 1950 | 120,000 | – |
| 1949 | 60,000 | – |
| 1948 | 200,000 | – |
- 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
North Korea in numbers
Every measure for North Korea on one page