Mapped: The World’s Largest Armies in 2024

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21 seconds ago

on

June 1, 2024

See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.

Mapped: The World’s Largest Armies in 2024

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Despite being considered the biggest military force in the world, the United States doesn’t have the largest army in terms of personnel.

This graphic shows the top 10 countries by military personnel as of May 2024, including active and reserve personnel, as well as paramilitary forces. It is based on estimates from GlobalFirepower.com.

Vietnam, India, and South Korea Have the Biggest Armies

China has the largest standing army, with over 2 million active personnel. With increasing defense spending over the last decades, the country also ranks third in the number of tanks and second in the number of aircraft carriers in service.

When reserve personnel are included, however, the Chinese military falls behind those of Vietnam, India, South Korea, and Russia.

Vietnam’s forces include 600,000 active personnel and over 5 million in reserve. This is because Vietnam, along with countries like South Korea and Israel, has a standing policy of conscription for young adults.

CountryTotal Military Personnel (est.)Region 🇻🇳 Vietnam5.8MAsia 🇮🇳 India5.1MAsia 🇰🇷 South Korea3.8MAsia 🇷🇺 Russia3.6MEurope/Asia 🇨🇳 China3.2MAsia 🇺🇦 Ukraine2.2MEurope 🇺🇸 United States2.1MNorth America 🇰🇵 North Korea2.0MAsia 🇵🇰 Pakistan1.7MAsia 🇮🇷 Iran1.2MMiddle East

Interestingly, the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine resulted in a massive increase in Ukrainian personnel numbers. Active personnel rose from around 170,000 in 2016 to over 900,000.

Despite not having the largest army, the U.S. accounts for almost 40% of global military expenditures, with its 2022 spending totaling $877 billion.

China ranked second in absolute terms, accounting for another 13% of world military expenditure at $292 billion.

Visualized: Aircraft Carriers by Country

Published

26 seconds ago

on

May 11, 2024 Graphics/Design:

See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.

Visualized: Aircraft Carriers by Country

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Aircraft carriers are warships equipped with a full-length flight deck for carrying, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Since they allow naval forces to utilize air power without relying on local bases, they usually serve as the capital ships of a fleet.

In this graphic, we visualize the number of aircraft carriers in service by country as of May 2024.

This graphic only includes ships capable of carrying planes (excluding those designed solely for helicopters). The list is based on data from various sources.

U.S. Dominance

The U.S., with 11 aircraft carriers in total, owns 40% of the global fleet. Some of the American carriers can carry around 80 fighters. The country’s total combined deck space is over twice that of all other nations combined.

CountryIn serviceNATO Member 🇺🇸 United States11Yes 🇨🇳 China3No 🇮🇳 India2No 🇮🇹 Italy2Yes 🇯🇵 Japan2No 🇬🇧 United Kingdom2Yes 🇫🇷 France1Yes 🇷🇺 Russia1No 🇪🇸 Spain1Yes 🇹🇭 Thailand1No 🇹🇷 Turkey1Yes Total27

Along with France, the U.S. is the only nation with nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. These ships can remain at sea for as long as crew provisions last, without the need for refueling.

In 2024, China’s newest, largest, and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, started sea trials. With the addition of this ship, the country becomes second in our ranking.

Of 11 countries that have aircraft carriers in their fleets, six are NATO members.

Learn More About War Machines from Visual Capitalist

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out ‘Visualized: Top 15 Global Tank Fleets.’ This visualization showcases the most powerful tank fleets as of 2024.