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Armed forces personnel since 1816 — all countries

Armed forces personnel since 1816 — China

Armed forces personnel since 1816 in China in 2022 — 2,035,000 people. Ranked 1 in the world out of 189. Since 1860, the indicator has risen by 103.5%.

2022 2.04M people +0% vs 2021
World rank 1of 189
Period maximum 4.78M people1945
Period minimum 450,000 people1912

Trend over time

1860–2022 · people

Armed forces personnel since 1816 — China, 1860–202202M4M6M186018771894191119281945196219791996201320221860: 1,000,000 people1863: 1,000,000 people1866: 1,000,000 people1869: 1,000,000 people1872: 1,000,000 people1875: 1,000,000 people1878: 1,000,000 people1881: 1,000,000 people1884: 1,000,000 people1887: 1,000,000 people1890: 1,000,000 people1893: 1,000,000 people1896: 1,000,000 people1899: 1,000,000 people1902: 1,000,000 people1905: 1,000,000 people1908: 1,000,000 people1911: 1,003,000 people1914: 460,000 people1917: 900,000 people1920: 1,442,000 people1923: 1,628,000 people1926: 1,700,000 people1929: 1,700,000 people1932: 1,700,000 people1935: 1,700,000 people1938: 900,000 people1941: 2,584,000 people1944: 4,228,000 people1947: 4,015,000 people1950: 4,000,000 people1953: 3,052,000 people1956: 3,130,000 people1959: 3,208,000 people1962: 2,300,000 people1965: 2,400,000 people1968: 2,800,000 people1971: 2,970,000 people1974: 4,300,000 people1977: 4,300,000 people1980: 4,650,000 people1983: 4,100,000 people1986: 4,030,000 people1989: 3,900,000 people1992: 3,160,000 people1995: 2,930,000 people1998: 2,600,000 people2001: 2,310,000 people2004: 2,253,000 people2007: 2,255,000 people2010: 2,285,000 people2013: 2,285,000 people2016: 2,333,000 people2019: 2,035,000 people2022: 2,035,000 people
Change over the period: +1.04M (+103.5%) Average annual rate: 0.44 %

Comparison, 2022

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: China

China 2.04M people
World computed 20.79M people
East Asia & Pacific computed 6.44M people
Eastern Asia computed 4.3M people
Upper-middle-income countries computed 5.23M people
Armed forces personnel since 1816 — China, by year China All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2022 2.04M +0 +0%
2021 2.04M +0 +0%
2020 2.04M +0 +0%
2019 2.04M +0 +0%
2018 2.04M −148,000 −6.78%
2017 2.18M −150,000 −6.43%
2016 2.33M +0 +0%
2015 2.33M +0 +0%
2014 2.33M +48,000 +2.1%
2013 2.29M +0 +0%
2012 2.29M +0 +0%
2011 2.29M +0 +0%
2010 2.29M +100,000 +4.58%
2009 2.19M +80,000 +3.8%
2008 2.11M −150,000 −6.65%
2007 2.26M +0 +0%
2006 2.26M +0 +0%
2005 2.26M +2,000 +0.09%
2004 2.25M +3,000 +0.13%
2003 2.25M −20,000 −0.88%
2002 2.27M −40,000 −1.73%
2001 2.31M −500,000 −17.79%
2000 2.81M +410,000 +17.08%
1999 2.4M −200,000 −7.69%
1998 2.6M +0 +0%
1997 2.6M −50,000 −1.89%
1996 2.65M −280,000 −9.56%
1995 2.93M +0 +0%
1994 2.93M −100,000 −3.3%
1993 3.03M −130,000 −4.11%
1992 3.16M −40,000 −1.25%
1991 3.2M −300,000 −8.57%
1990 3.5M −400,000 −10.26%
1989 3.9M +120,000 +3.17%
1988 3.78M +250,000 +7.08%
1987 3.53M −500,000 −12.41%
1986 4.03M −70,000 −1.71%
1985 4.1M +0 +0%
1984 4.1M +0 +0%
1983 4.1M −250,000 −5.75%
1982 4.35M −400,000 −8.42%
1981 4.75M +100,000 +2.15%
1980 4.65M +50,000 +1.09%
1979 4.6M +100,000 +2.22%
1978 4.5M +200,000 +4.65%
1977 4.3M +0 +0%
1976 4.3M +0 +0%
1975 4.3M +0 +0%
1974 4.3M +1.05M +32.31%
1973 3.25M +210,000 +6.91%
1972 3.04M +70,000 +2.36%
1971 2.97M +120,000 +4.21%
1970 2.85M +20,000 +0.71%
1969 2.83M +30,000 +1.07%
1968 2.8M +90,000 +3.32%
1967 2.71M +110,000 +4.23%
1966 2.6M +200,000 +8.33%
1965 2.4M −350,000 −12.73%
1964 2.75M +250,000 +10%
1963 2.5M +200,000 +8.7%
1962 2.3M +100,000 +4.55%
1961 2.2M −1.03M −31.97%
1960 3.23M +26,000 +0.81%
1959 3.21M +26,000 +0.82%
1958 3.18M +26,000 +0.82%
1957 3.16M +26,000 +0.83%
1956 3.13M +130,000 +4.33%
1955 3M −78,000 −2.53%
1954 3.08M +26,000 +0.85%
1953 3.05M +26,000 +0.86%
1952 3.03M +26,000 +0.87%
1951 3M −1M −25%
1950 4M +1.43M +55.64%
1949 2.57M −1.12M −30.35%
1948 3.69M −325,000 −8.09%
1947 4.02M −143,000 −3.44%
1946 4.16M −617,000 −12.92%
1945 4.78M +547,000 +12.94%
1944 4.23M +548,000 +14.89%
1943 3.68M +548,000 +17.5%
1942 3.13M +548,000 +21.21%
1941 2.58M +548,000 +26.92%
1940 2.04M +548,000 +36.83%
1939 1.49M +588,000 +65.33%
1938 900,000 −1.1M −55%
1937 2M +300,000 +17.65%
1936 1.7M +0 +0%
1935 1.7M +0 +0%
1934 1.7M +0 +0%
1933 1.7M +0 +0%
1932 1.7M +0 +0%
1931 1.7M +0 +0%
1930 1.7M +0 +0%
1929 1.7M +0 +0%
1928 1.7M +0 +0%
1927 1.7M +0 +0%
1926 1.7M +0 +0%
1925 1.7M +0 +0%
1924 1.7M +72,000 +4.42%
1923 1.63M +62,000 +3.96%
1922 1.57M +62,000 +4.12%
1921 1.5M +62,000 +4.3%
1920 1.44M +62,000 +4.49%
1919 1.38M +80,000 +6.15%
1918 1.3M +400,000 +44.44%
1917 900,000 +50,000 +5.88%
1916 850,000 +350,000 +70%
1915 500,000 +40,000 +8.7%
1914 460,000 +10,000 +2.22%
1913 450,000 +0 +0%
1912 450,000 −553,000 −55.13%
1911 1M +3,000 +0.3%
1910 1M +0 +0%
1909 1M +0 +0%
1908 1M +0 +0%
1907 1M +0 +0%
1906 1M +0 +0%
1905 1M +0 +0%
1904 1M +0 +0%
1903 1M +0 +0%
1902 1M +0 +0%
1901 1M +0 +0%
1900 1M +0 +0%
1899 1M +0 +0%
1898 1M +0 +0%
1897 1M +0 +0%
1896 1M +0 +0%
1895 1M +0 +0%
1894 1M +0 +0%
1893 1M +0 +0%
1892 1M +0 +0%
1891 1M +0 +0%
1890 1M +0 +0%
1889 1M +0 +0%
1888 1M +0 +0%
1887 1M +0 +0%
1886 1M +0 +0%
1885 1M +0 +0%
1884 1M +0 +0%
1883 1M +0 +0%
1882 1M +0 +0%
1881 1M +0 +0%
1880 1M +0 +0%
1879 1M +0 +0%
1878 1M +0 +0%
1877 1M +0 +0%
1876 1M +0 +0%
1875 1M +0 +0%
1874 1M +0 +0%
1873 1M +0 +0%
1872 1M +0 +0%
1871 1M +0 +0%
1870 1M +0 +0%
1869 1M +0 +0%
1868 1M +0 +0%
1867 1M +0 +0%
1866 1M +0 +0%
1865 1M +0 +0%
1864 1M +0 +0%
1863 1M +0 +0%
1862 1M +0 +0%
1861 1M +0 +0%
1860 1M — —

Eastern Asia, 2022

The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages

CN China 2.04M KP North Korea 1.28M KR South Korea 555,000 JP Japan 247,000 TW Taiwan 169,000 MN Mongolia 10,000
Full table for all countries

About the indicator

The number of military personnel on active duty. The series was assembled by the Correlates of War project and continued with data of the International Institute for Strategic Studies; unlike the World Bank series, which begins in 1985, it reaches 1816 and makes military buildup over two centuries visible — including both world wars.

Important: Over two hundred years borders and the composition of countries changed, so the series before the middle of the 20th century refers to the territory of the time: comparing adjacent years is reliable, comparing 1830 with 2020 only loosely so.

Source: Military Expenditure Database (SIPRI), license SIPRI terms of use.

Other indicators for China

Defense Armed forces personnel

The number of active-duty military personnel and paramilitary forces.

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What share of a country’s population military personnel make up — a measure of how militarized a society is.

China by year Defense Military expenditure in dollars

The absolute volume of defense spending in current US dollars.

China by year Defense Military expenditure (% of GDP)

The share of GDP a country spends on defense.

China by year Defense Military expenditure share of the budget

What part of government spending goes to defense.

China by year Defense Arms exports

Transfers of major conventional weapons abroad, in SIPRI trend-indicator values (TIV).

China by year
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