Map: Where are American Troops Stationed Overseas?

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July 1, 2024 Graphics/Design:

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Map: Where Are American Troops Stationed Overseas?

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With a military budget bigger than most countries’ GDPs, the U.S. military manages to station troops in nearly 170 territories, on every continent in the world.

But which countries host the most troops? We map the territories where active duty American military personnel are stationed, according to March 2024 figures from the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC).

ℹ️ Reserve troops and civilian personnel are also stationed overseas for support activities. They are not included on this map. Ranked: Top 10 Territories Hosting U.S. Troops

There are nearly 170,000 active duty American troops stationed overseas.

More than half of that number are in Japan (55,000) and Germany (35,000), a holdover from World War II after the Axis powers surrendered.

Germany is now also home to the US European Command (EUCOM) headquarters in Stuttgart. It’s a key regional outpost, to help “keep the peace in Europe, parts of the Middle East, and Eurasia,” as stated by the government.

RankCountryActive Duty American Troops 1🇯🇵 Japan54,774 2🇩🇪 Germany35,068 3🇰🇷 South Korea24,234 4🇮🇹 Italy12,375 5🇬🇧 UK10,058 6🇬🇺 Guam*6,593 7🇧🇭 Bahrain3,479 8🇪🇸 Spain3,292 9🇹🇷 Türkiye1,690 10🇳🇴 Norway1,438 N/A🌍 Rest of World16,116 N/A🌍 Total169,117
*Guam is a U.S. territory.

Meanwhile, the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty revised in 1960 allowed America to establish military bases in the country, in exchange for defending Japan in the event of an attack.

South Korea also has a significant garrison, nearly 25,000 active duty personnel. This is also a legacy from the Korean War.

Tellingly, however, six of the top 10 countries hosting U.S. troops are in Europe. For the decades since the Cold War, the American military had been reducing its European footprint. However after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, the buildup restarted.

Finally, in the wake of the 2022 Russian invasion and the Israel-Hamas war,

Mapped: The World’s Largest Armies in 2024

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June 1, 2024

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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.