Special Report
This Country Has the Biggest Reserve Army, See Where the US Ranks
Published:
At the onset of the war in Afghanistan in the early 2000s, the United States mobilized thousands of reservists to complement its active duty military personnel when entering the region. This practice is not uncommon when countries are preparing to go to war. In fact, Russia is relying on its reserve personnel in its current ongoing conflict in Ukraine. (These are the greatest armies ever assembled on Earth.)
Many countries around the world rely on their reservists should a conflict erupt and military personnel are needed. These members of the military, although not active duty, make up a key component of any military force.
To identify the countries with the most military reserve personnel, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed 2024 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Countries were ranked on the total number of military reserves. We included supplemental information regarding active personnel, total population, fit-for-service, paramilitary forces, and overall military strength score.
Eight countries in the world are known to have reserve forces with more than 1 million at the ready, led by Vietnam’s estimated 5 million reservists, followed by the likes of Taiwan, Ukraine, and South Korea.
It is not surprising to find countries with large populations on this list. However, the number of reservists does not necessarily depend on the size of the population. Countries with relatively small populations, like Israel and Finland, have outsized reserves comparatively speaking. (These are the NATO members with the most military manpower.)
Outside of active troops and reservists, countries also have a third broad category of military personnel: paramilitary organizations, state-sanctioned forces that have sometimes acted outside the rules of engagement.
Here is a look at the countries with the most military reserve personnel:
30. Paraguay
- Reserves: 168,500
- Total military personnel: 199,150
- Active personnel: 15,650
- Paramilitary forces: 15,000
- Total population: 7,439,863
- Fit-for-service: 2,968,505
- Military strength score: 1.7053 – #85 out of 145
29. Thailand
- Reserves: 200,000
- Total military personnel: 585,850
- Active personnel: 360,850
- Paramilitary forces: 25,000
- Total population: 69,794,997
- Fit-for-service: 27,917,999
- Military strength score: 0.3389 – #25 out of 145
28. Armenia
- Reserves: 210,000
- Total military personnel: 272,500
- Active personnel: 57,500
- Paramilitary forces: 5,000
- Total population: 2,989,091
- Fit-for-service: 1,371,993
- Military strength score: 2.0583 – #102 out of 145
27. Portugal
- Reserves: 211,700
- Total military personnel: 260,400
- Active personnel: 24,000
- Paramilitary forces: 24,700
- Total population: 10,467,366
- Fit-for-service: 4,029,936
- Military strength score: 0.5609 – #38 out of 145
26. Greece
- Reserves: 221,350
- Total military personnel: 419,050
- Active personnel: 142,700
- Paramilitary forces: 55,000
- Total population: 10,497,595
- Fit-for-service: 3,999,584
- Military strength score: 0.4349 – #32 out of 145
25. Singapore
- Reserves: 252,500
- Total military personnel: 315,500
- Active personnel: 51,000
- Paramilitary forces: 12,000
- Total population: 5,975,383
- Fit-for-service: 2,605,267
- Military strength score: 0.4087 – #30 out of 145
24. Azerbaijan
- Reserves: 300,000
- Total military personnel: 441,400
- Active personnel: 126,400
- Paramilitary forces: 15,000
- Total population: 10,420,515
- Fit-for-service: 3,824,329
- Military strength score: 0.9934 – #59 out of 145
23. Kyrgyzstan
- Reserves: 300,000
- Total military personnel: 378,000
- Active personnel: 23,000
- Paramilitary forces: 55,000
- Total population: 6,122,781
- Fit-for-service: 2,467,481
- Military strength score: 2.0057 – #100 out of 145
22. Brazil
- Reserves: 340,000
- Total military personnel: 900,000
- Active personnel: 360,000
- Paramilitary forces: 200,000
- Total population: 218,689,757
- Fit-for-service: 88,131,972
- Military strength score: 0.1944 – #12 out of 145
21. Iran
- Reserves: 350,000
- Total military personnel: 1,180,000
- Active personnel: 610,000
- Paramilitary forces: 220,000
- Total population: 87,590,873
- Fit-for-service: 41,167,710
- Military strength score: 0.2269 – #14 out of 145
20. Poland
- Reserves: 350,000
- Total military personnel: 602,100
- Active personnel: 202,100
- Paramilitary forces: 50,000
- Total population: 37,991,766
- Fit-for-service: 15,272,690
- Military strength score: 0.2917 – #21 out of 145
19. Turkey
- Reserves: 378,700
- Total military personnel: 883,900
- Active personnel: 355,200
- Paramilitary forces: 150,000
- Total population: 83,593,483
- Fit-for-service: 3,561,604
- Military strength score: 0.1697 – #8 out of 145
18. Peru
- Reserves: 385,000
- Total military personnel: 565,000
- Active personnel: 120,000
- Paramilitary forces: 60,000
- Total population: 32,440,172
- Fit-for-service: 12,619,227
- Military strength score: 0.8475 – #53 out of 145
17. Indonesia
- Reserves: 400,000
- Total military personnel: 1,050,000
- Active personnel: 400,000
- Paramilitary forces: 250,000
- Total population: 279,476,346
- Fit-for-service: 113,746,873
- Military strength score: 0.2251 – #13 out of 145
16. Israel
- Reserves: 465,000
- Total military personnel: 670,000
- Active personnel: 170,000
- Paramilitary forces: 35,000
- Total population: 9,043,387
- Fit-for-service: 3,156,142
- Military strength score: 0.2596 – #17 out of 145
15. Egypt
- Reserves: 480,000
- Total military personnel: 1,220,000
- Active personnel: 440,000
- Paramilitary forces: 300,000
- Total population: 109,546,720
- Fit-for-service: 37,684,072
- Military strength score: 0.2283 – #15 out of 145
14. China
- Reserves: 510,000
- Total military personnel: 3,170,000
- Active personnel: 2,035,000
- Paramilitary forces: 625,000
- Total population: 1,413,142,846
- Fit-for-service: 626,022,281
- Military strength score: 0.0706 – #3 out of 145
13. Pakistan
- Reserves: 550,000
- Total military personnel: 1,704,000
- Active personnel: 654,000
- Paramilitary forces: 500,000
- Total population: 247,653,551
- Fit-for-service: 84,202,207
- Military strength score: 0.1711 – #9 out of 145
12. North Korea
- Reserves: 560,000
- Total military personnel: 1,980,000
- Active personnel: 1,320,000
- Paramilitary forces: 100,000
- Total population: 26,072,217
- Fit-for-service: 5,266,588
- Military strength score: 0.5313 – #36 out of 145
11. Tajikistan
- Reserves: 600,000
- Total military personnel: 629,500
- Active personnel: 9,500
- Paramilitary forces: 20,000
- Total population: 9,245,937
- Fit-for-service: 3,356,275
- Military strength score: 2.1265 – #107 out of 145
10. United States
- Reserves: 799,500
- Total military personnel: 2,127,500
- Active personnel: 1,328,000
- Paramilitary forces: 0
- Total population: 339,665,118
- Fit-for-service: 123,977,768
- Military strength score: 0.0699 – #1 out of 145
9. Finland
- Reserves: 870,000
- Total military personnel: 947,800
- Active personnel: 24,000
- Paramilitary forces: 53,800
- Total population: 5,614,571
- Fit-for-service: 1,908,954
- Military strength score: 0.7967 – #50 out of 145
8. United Kingdom
- Reserves: 924,000
- Total military personnel: 1,108,860
- Active personnel: 184,860
- Paramilitary forces: 0
- Total population: 68,138,484
- Fit-for-service: 25,074,962
- Military strength score: 0.1443 – #6 out of 145
7. India
- Reserves: 1,155,000
- Total military personnel: 5,137,550
- Active personnel: 1,455,550
- Paramilitary forces: 2,527,000
- Total population: 1,399,179,585
- Fit-for-service: 519,095,626
- Military strength score: 0.1023 – #4 out of 145
6. Philippines
- Reserves: 1,200,000
- Total military personnel: 1,385,000
- Active personnel: 150,000
- Paramilitary forces: 35,000
- Total population: 116,434,200
- Fit-for-service: 41,101,273
- Military strength score: 0.4691 – #34 out of 145
5. Ukraine
- Reserves: 1,200,000
- Total military personnel: 2,200,000
- Active personnel: 900,000
- Paramilitary forces: 100,000
- Total population: 43,306,477
- Fit-for-service: 15,460,412
- Military strength score: 0.2598 – #18 out of 145
4. Russia
- Reserves: 2,000,000
- Total military personnel: 3,570,000
- Active personnel: 1,320,000
- Paramilitary forces: 250,000
- Total population: 141,698,923
- Fit-for-service: 46,477,247
- Military strength score: 0.0702 – #2 out of 145
3. Taiwan
- Reserves: 2,310,000
- Total military personnel: 2,580,000
- Active personnel: 215,000
- Paramilitary forces: 55,000
- Total population: 23,588,613
- Fit-for-service: 1,061,488
- Military strength score: 0.3302 – #24 out of 145
2. South Korea
- Reserves: 3,100,000
- Total military personnel: 3,820,000
- Active personnel: 600,000
- Paramilitary forces: 120,000
- Total population: 51,966,948
- Fit-for-service: 21,306,449
- Military strength score: 0.1416 – #5 out of 145
1. Vietnam
- Reserves: 5,000,000
- Total military personnel: 5,850,000
- Active personnel: 600,000
- Paramilitary forces: 250,000
- Total population: 104,799,174
- Fit-for-service: 44,644,448
- Military strength score: 0.3158 – #22 out of 145
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