Every country requires an army to defend the borders and carry out certain tasks. Army is an integral part of every country, with soldiers getting respect from their countrymen. Some armies are large, as expected, based on the size of the country e.g China, while some are surprisingly large even though the country is comparatively small e.g Pakistan. You might have wondered what is the largest army in the world? Well, I have come up with this list of the largest armies worldwide.The Top 10 Largest Armies In The World are as follows:

 

Largest Armies

 

10. Russia (321,000 Personnel)

Russia used to be one of the greatest powers in the world before World War. Russia has always faced stiff problems with USA. To find Russia in this top 10 list comes as no surprise. With 321,000 army personnel, Russia has the 10th largest army in the world. The size of Russia is also really vast and to protect such a vast area, a large army is needed.

 

9. Iraq (375,000 Personnel)

With 375,000 army personnel, Iraq has one of the largest armies in the world. Iraq has had troubled times with a number of nations, along with some internal problems. The Iran-Iraq war is an example. Recently, the US raid on Iraq and the subsequent unrest also requires a large army to carry out the tasks. With the arrival of Taliban, the workload has only just increased. Perhaps with the withdrawal of US army in 2014, the region will experience a period of peace.

 

8. Turkey (402,000 Personnel)

Turkey is an Asian country which is part of the EU. The army personnel of Turkey count up to 402,000, making it one of the largest army in the world. Turkey suffered major setbacks in World War 2 when it allied with the Allied forces on the brink of victory, only to see it snatch away. Turkey has since tried to rebuild its armed forces. The role of army in Turkey’s politics was also criticized. It was only after Erdogan became the PM that the armed forces were put back to their place. This action has made Erdogan a role model for many developing nations. Turkish army was one of the armies sent in the Korean war. With Turkey growing at a steady rate, the large army is one of the strong pillars of the country.

 

7. Vietnam (412,000 Personnel)

Vietnam is a country which has been really affected adversely by wars and unrest. The Vietnamese unrest saw many countries send their armies  to help out the affected. Vietnam itself has a large army of around 412,000 army personnel. Many soldiers also belong from other countries who came to Vietnam during the unrest but settled there.

 

6. USA (477,800 Personnel)

It may seem a surprise to find USA so far behind but if you take only army personnel into account, USA has only 477,800 army personnel. What makes USA army seem as the largest army in the world is its alliance and deals with other nations, especially Israel, which provide USA with troops. UN also helps USA in a lot of occasions. For instance, in the US raid of Afghanistan and Iraq, USA urged all its allies to send their armies to fight its war. As USA is the superpower, it was hard to say “No” to the USA. Nevertheless, USA army is one of the largest armies in the world.

 

5. Pakistan (550,000 Personnel)

Pakistan is country which has a very large army relative to its size. But who can blame Pakistan? On one side, it is facing battle from its arch rival, India, and on the opposite side, we have Afghanistan and Taliban. Add to this the growing sectarian violence and extremism within the country. Therefore, 550,000 may seem a small amount of army personnel to tackle all the problems, but this does make Pakistan have one of the largest armies in the world. Pakistani army has interfered in the country’s politics on numerous occasions, but this is due to the ineffectiveness of political leaders like Nawaz Sharif. This has seen Pakistan spiral on a downward path. The only hope the youth have in the country is in Imran Khan, who the establishment and USA is determined to not let come to power.

 

4. South Korea (560,000 Personnel)

South Korea has a large army of 560,000 personnel. The rivalry with North Korea has forced South Korea to invest in its armed forces. USA has also helped South Korea, mainly because of the threat it faces from the nuclear North Korea.

 

3. North Korea (950,000 Personnel)

North Korea has taken the world, and especially the USA, by storm after its successful atomic tests. Perhaps it comes as no surprise that North Korea is at number 3 on this top 10 list with the total army personnel approximately 950,000. North Korea has been in a Cold War in the past against their arch rivals, South Korea. An estimated annual budget allocation to military is close to $10 billion.

 

2. India (1,100,000 Personnel)

India has the second largest army in the world with army personnel close to 1.1 million. Facing stiff ties with its neighbors, mainly Pakistan and China, India has invested heavily in its security, getting help from both USA and Russia. India is in a constant race of nuclear weapons with Pakistan and both countries have a huge defense budget.

 

1. China (1,600,000 Personnel)

Chinese army, better known as People’s Liberation Army, is the largest army in the world. With an astounding figure of 1.6 million army personnel, China heads the top 10 list by a mile. Considering the population of China which is close to a billion, a large army is needed to carry out the tasks accordingly. An interesting fact about People’s Liberation Army is that every Chinese person has to enroll in armed services at least till the age of 18.So this was the list of the top 10 largest armies. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.