The 25 largest militaries in the world in 2026, ranked by the number of active troops

North Korea has the fourth-largest number of active armed forces in the world. Alain Nogues/Corbis via Getty Images The International Institute for Strategic Studies compiled data about the world's militaries. China, India, and the US have the largest active armed forces in the world. The world's top armies spend hundreds of billions of dollars on defense each year. While the US military has pursued ambitious advances in warfare technology, the value of its manpower remains a core pillar. F...