Armed forces personnel, total

Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability.

ARMED_FORCES_PERSONNEL_TOTAL · raw · annual · people

Military personnel scale

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Armed forces personnel, total

Military personnel scale

Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability.

Data and evidence

Armed forces personnel, total

Korea (Republic of)

Values and evidence for Korea (Republic of). Unavailable values are gaps, not zero.
Period	Value	Status	Provenance & calculation
1990	650,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96131 · revision 1 Value 650000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 650000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
1991	750,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96130 · revision 1 Value 750000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 750000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
1992	750,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96129 · revision 1 Value 750000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 750000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
1993	750,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96128 · revision 1 Value 750000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 750000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
1994	750,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96127 · revision 1 Value 750000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 750000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
1995	641,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96126 · revision 1 Value 641000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 641000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
1996	668,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96125 · revision 1 Value 668000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 668000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
1997	676,500 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96124 · revision 1 Value 676500.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 676500.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
1998	676,500 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96123 · revision 1 Value 676500.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 676500.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
1999	676,500 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96122 · revision 1 Value 676500.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 676500.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
2000	687,500 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96121 · revision 1 Value 687500.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 687500.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
2001	687,500 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96120 · revision 1 Value 687500.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 687500.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
2002	690,500 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96119 · revision 1 Value 690500.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 690500.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
2003	690,500 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96118 · revision 1 Value 690500.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 690500.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
2004	696,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96117 · revision 1 Value 696000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 696000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
2005	693,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96116 · revision 1 Value 693000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 693000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
2006	692,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96115 · revision 1 Value 692000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 692000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
2007	692,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96114 · revision 1 Value 692000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 692000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
2008	692,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96113 · revision 1 Value 692000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 692000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
2009	659,500 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96112 · revision 1 Value 659500.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 659500.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
2010	659,500 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96111 · revision 1 Value 659500.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 659500.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
2011	659,500 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96110 · revision 1 Value 659500.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 659500.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
2012	659,500 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96109 · revision 1 Value 659500.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 659500.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
2013	659,500 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96108 · revision 1 Value 659500.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 659500.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
2014	632,500 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96107 · revision 1 Value 632500.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 632500.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
2015	634,500 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96106 · revision 1 Value 634500.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 634500.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
2016	634,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96105 · revision 1 Value 634000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 634000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
2017	634,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96104 · revision 1 Value 634000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 634000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
2018	608,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96103 · revision 1 Value 608000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 608000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:02 · source revision unspecified
2019	613,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96102 · revision 1 Value 613000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 613000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:01 · source revision unspecified
2020	569,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96101 · revision 1 Value 569000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 569000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:01 · source revision unspecified
2021	Unavailable people	missing	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96100 · revision 1 Value Missing · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: Missing · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:01 · source revision unspecified
2022	Unavailable people	missing	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96099 · revision 1 Value Missing · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: Missing · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:01 · source revision unspecified
2023	Unavailable people	missing	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96098 · revision 1 Value Missing · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: Missing · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:01 · source revision unspecified
2024	Unavailable people	missing	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96097 · revision 1 Value Missing · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: Missing · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:01 · source revision unspecified
2025	Unavailable people	missing	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #96096 · revision 1 Value Missing · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: Missing · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:48:01 · source revision unspecified

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