Countries with the Largest Military Per Capita

Which countries have the largest military per capita? Armies are an interesting thing, especially in the context of the modern age. However, the top contenders on this list aren’t what you’d expect.

Switzerland

Starting our list is the neutral country of Switzerland. Now, Switzerland doesn’t have a traditional armed service, but it does have one of the largest militaries per capita you’ll find. The Swiss have around 25 soldiers per 1000 people, accounting for the nearly 216,000 troops they can call on.

Paraguay

When it comes to standing militaries, Paraguay doesn’t even have the largest military force in South America. However, when you start looking at things per capita, that changes things considerably. At 27.6 troops per 1000 people, it is honestly astonishing.

Ukraine

While this country is currently in a fight for survival following its recent invasion by Russia, it does have one of the most sizable militaries in all of Europe. Ukraine has one of the largest military forces per capita in the world, with 27.6 troops per 1000 people. It has a substantially larger population than many countries on this list, so the 1.2 million personnel makes sense.

Greece

Greece is one of few countries in Europe with a military history going back to antiquity. As such, it is only fitting that it has one of the largest military forces per capita on the planet. Greece can field around 368,000 troops. This boils down to 34.2 troops per 1000 people.

Belarus

This diminutive Eastern European nation has a shocking amount of troops relative to its size. Belarus has around 444,000 total personnel it can call on in times of war. This comes to around 46.7 troops per 1000 people.

Azerbaijan

The Azeris are coming off a war with its neighbor, Armenia. That said, it still fields one of the largest military forces per capita you’ll find. The Azeris have around 472,000 troops. This comes out to 47 troops per 1000 people.

Mongolia

The days of the Khanate are long over. However, that doesn’t stop one of the largest military per capita forces you’ll see in Asia. Mongolia doesn’t have a huge military, only accounting for 154,000 or so personnel. However, it does have a more sizable ratio per capita at 49.7 troops per 1000 people.

Singapore

We often don’t think about Singapore in terms of military forces. That said, it does have one of the largest militaries per capita on the planet. At 51.9 troops per 1000 people, it certainly makes they can field around 310,000 soldiers.

Vietnam

Located in Southeast Asia, Vietnam has a history of warfare, invasion, and occupation from surrounding nations. Those days are long over, thankfully, thanks to one of the largest military forces per capita on the planet. Vietnam can field around 5.5 million troops. This makes for a ratio of 52.4 troops to 1000 people.

Finland

As a nation once among enemies on all sides, it makes sense that Finland would have one of the largest militaries per capita. The Finns can field around 292,000 troops, roughly accounting for 52.7 soldiers per 1000 people.

Cyprus

Cyprus seems an odd inclusion when talking about the largest military force per capita. However, when it gets down to it, the small nation has a ton of soldiers relative to its population. You’re looking at 53.1 soldiers per 1000 people.

Transnistria

This is one of the oddest entries on this entire list. Transnistria is an army for a country that officially doesn’t exist. That doesn’t stop it from being one of the largest military forces per capita. They have 53.4 troops per 1000 people, accounting for 19,500 total personnel.

Eritrea

Eritrea is coming off a decades-long conflict with its neighbor, Ethiopia. As such, it maintains one of the largest military forces in the area. Currently, they can field roughly 321,000 troops. This registers as 53.9 soldiers per 1000.

Israel

Originally set amid hostile nations, it makes sense Israel possesses one of the largest military forces per capita in the Middle East. Military service is compulsory in the country, so it has a ton of reserves and active personnel. Currently, it registers at 76.3 soldiers per 1000 people.

Taiwan

The Republic of China, or Taiwan, has an existence born out of strife. These days, it still lives under the threat of the mainland and has one of the largest military forces you’ll find per capita. Currently, it has around 1.8 million troops to call on, making for a massive military force.

Armenia

Armenia is still reeling from a recent conflict but has one of the largest militaries per capita on the planet. At 85.3 soldiers per 1000 people, it certainly is an impressive figure. However, it has one of the smallest militaries in the region.

Cuba

When looking at the largest military per capita, you wouldn’t think of countries like Cuba. However, the island nation has 110.9 troops per 1000 people, accounting for around 1.2 million personnel.

South Korea

Its neighbor to the north poses a massive threat, so, understandably, South Korea has a ton of active military personnel. At the time of this writing, South Korea has nearly 3.6 million troops across active and reserve personnel. That accounts for an astonishing 127.3 soldiers per 1000 people.

Vatican City

Curiously, when looking at the largest military per capita of so many countries, you get a few oddities. Vatican City is the odd man out of this list with 135 soldiers in its reserves. However, when looking at things per capita, that accounts for 259.6 soldiers per 1000 people.

North Korea

The country with the largest military per capita is North Korea. At 1.2 million active service members, it has 289.4 soldiers per 1000 people. This is an astronomical number, especially given how isolated the country is from the rest of the world.