What Is the Strongest Military in the World?

When it comes to the power of a given country's armed forces, there are a few different ways to proceed. One way would be to simply add up all the soldiers that a given country's military has, and then compare that to all the other countries in the world.

While this does give a sense of a military's strength, an even better method is to consider the spending power of a given military. Indeed, countries with big economies can spend more money on their militaries, which means that they can have a more technologically advanced military force, support more active personnel, buy more weapons, have more bases, etc.

Any kind of overall assessment is going to combine these two factors with others, although the bottom-line judgement is going to always be somewhat subjective. With that in mind, let's take a look at the country with the most powerful military force (and the runners-up).

There are a number of different institutions and think tanks that measure and report the information we're concerned with here. Not all of them agree; when you're dealing with very big numbers, and different currencies, things can get complicated pretty quickly.

Beyond that, it's important to note that military spending isn't always done above-board; by their very nature, states are going to be somewhat selective about what information they make publicly available.

For the sake of clarity, we'll use the estimates reported by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) which has figures converted to U.S. dollars, and rankings current to 2023.

When it comes to how many troops are in any given military, there's also a degree of variation based on what we're actually counting. For the purposes of this list, we'll look at active duty personnel, which means soldiers who are currently serving full-time in a country's military.

Here, the data is being provided by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, (IISS), which provides a fairly recent compilation of publicly available data. So, without further ado, here are the rankings of military strength, by country.

1. United States of America ($831B)

In the international contest for most potent military force, the U.S. wins with ease. With its staggering military budget, even though its active duty force is smaller than a few other nations, nobody else even comes close to matching the U.S. military's air force, navy and army.

As an illustrative example: The U.S. navy has 11 operational aircraft carrier warships. That's more than the rest of the world combined; China, the U.K., India and Italy have two each, while France has one.

The United States also has 750 military bases in 80 different countries and territories across the world, making its reach exceptionally wide. Military alliances with countries in Europe (NATO member countries that include the U.K., France, Germany and others), Asia and elsewhere all ensure a considerable dominance.

2. China ($296B)

The next step down (in terms of military spending) is a big one. However, this is more in line with other major, highly populous countries, where the competition for a notable military force is more evenly matched. China's military capabilities are significant, and it boasts a larger standing army than the U.S.

3. Russia ($109B)

By most reckonings, Russian and China are pretty evenly matched, with some rankings showing Russia at No. two. Still, by sheer numbers, we can see that Russia's budget is smaller than China's, as is their active duty personnel. They have also become a significant arms trade partner with other major militaries (such as Turkey), which boosts their political and military influence.

4. India ($83.6B)

India's military is impressive, and as a growing player in the international community, its desire for a more powerful military force is understandable. Along with a few other countries — such as the United States, Russia, Israel and North Korea — it is also a nuclear-armed military power.

5. South Korea ($47.9B)

South Korea's military prowess is boosted somewhat by factors that expenditure and active duty troops don't immediately reflect: They have an especially sophisticated military and air force, with impressive attack aircraft capabilities, as well as a large reserve army and paramilitary force. This includes fighters that aren't part of the state's main fighting force.

South Korea has a long history of tensions with North Korea, which helps to explain their large investment in military capabilities.

6. United Kingdom ($74.9B)

Similar to South Korea, the United Kingdom maintains a high spot on the list because of its technologically advanced military force, as well as its strategic alliance with other powerful states, most notably the U.S.

Being an island nation, the U.K. boasts many ports from which to launch warships, as well as an aerial tanker aircraft fleet, which further boosts the capabilities of its armed forces. They also have two aircraft carriers, which, while less than the U.S., is two more than most other countries in the world.

7. Japan ($50.2B)

Japan is a populous, prosperous, technologically advanced country. And over the years since WWII they've been building up their military to become a major player in the game of global firepower. They're known for having a sophisticated and well-trained military force, and their strategic importance to the Pacific theater makes them a force to be reckoned with.