The U.S. Army remains the largest branch of the American military, with 449,344 active duty personnel in 2023. While the Army leads in numbers, the newly established Space Force had just 8,879 active duty members, highlighting the evolving nature of modern warfare and the increasing importance of space-based capabilities. Confidence in military remains high Despite fluctuations in force size, public trust in the U.S. military remains strong. In 2024, 61 percent of Americans expressed a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the armed forces, a slight increase from the previous year. While a slightly higher share of Republicans have shown more confidence in the military, trust in the institution remains high across party lines. Global commitments The United States continues to invest heavily in its military capabilities, with defense spending reaching 916.02 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. This substantial budget supports not only domestic defense needs but also enables the U.S. to respond to global crises, as evidenced by the over 40 billion euros in military aid provided to Ukraine following Russia's invasion. The high level of spending, which translates to about 2,220 U.S. dollars per capita.

In 2023, there were around 1.11 million active duty U.S. Armed Forces personnel stationed within the United States. In that year, there were 156,418 U.S. Armed Forces personnel stationed in California, the most of any state.

The graph illustrates the number of personnel in each branch of the U.S. Military for the year 2025. The x-axis lists the military branches: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The y-axis represents the number of personnel, ranging from 41,477 to 449,265. Among the branches, the Army has the highest number of personnel with 449,265, followed by the Navy with 333,794 and the Air Force with 317,675. The Marine Corps and Coast Guard have 168,628 and 41,477 personnel, respectively. The data is displayed in a bar graph format, effectively highlighting the distribution of military personnel across the different branches.

U.S. military size for 2020 was 1,395,000, a 0.5% increase from 2019.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>U.S. military size for 2019 was <strong>1,388,000</strong>, a <strong>0.59% increase</strong> from 2018.</li>
<li>U.S. military size for 2018 was <strong>1,379,800</strong>, a <strong>1.53% increase</strong> from 2017.</li>
<li>U.S. military size for 2017 was <strong>1,359,000</strong>, a <strong>0.79% increase</strong> from 2016.</li>
</ul>Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.

In the United States, active duty Armed Forces personnel tended to be young, with the majority under the age of 30 years old. In 2023, there were 546,361 U.S. Defense Armed personnel aged 25 and under. In the age group 26 to 30, there were 275,756 Armed Forces personnel.

This graph shows the total number of active duty U.S. military personnel by service branch as of 2010. At this time there were 323,139 military personnel in the Navy and 329,640 personnel in the Air Force.

In 2023, there were 1.27 million active duty U.S. Department of Defense members, including officers and enlisted personnel. This represents a slight decrease in comparison to the previous year. Further, by 2034, it is expected that the number of military retirees in the country will reach 2.4 million.

As of May 2025, China had the largest armed forces in the world by active duty military personnel, with about two million active soldiers. India, the United States, North Korea, and Russia rounded out the top five largest armies. Difference between active and reserve personnel Active personnel, also known as active duty in the United States and active service in the United Kingdom, are those individuals whose full-time occupation is being part of a military force. Active duty contrasts with a military’s reserve force, which are individuals who have both a military role and a civilian career. The number of active duty forces in the U.S. is much larger than its reserve membership. What is the strongest army? The strength of a country’s armed forces is not only determined by how many personnel they maintain, but also the number and quality of their military equipment. For example, looking only at personnel does not factor in the overwhelmingly higher number of nuclear warheads owned by Russia and the United States compared to other countries. One way to answer this question is to look at the total amount of money each country spends on their military, as spending includes both personnel and technology. In terms of countries with the highest military spending, the United States leads the world with an annual budget almost three times larger than second-placed China.

There were 449,344 active duty U.S. Army members in 2023. This amount represents a slight decrease in comparison to the number recorded in the previous year. Overall, there were 1.27 million active duty U.S. Department of Defense members, including officers and enlisted personnel in 2023.

NOTE: 2001-2013 enlisted totals include "cadets-midshipmen" so officer+enlisted=total. This may not be the correct assumption, but the historical tables only have "officer" and "enlisted" totals.

Armed forces personnel, total in World was reported at 27406000 in 2020, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. World - Armed forces personnel, total - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on May of 2025.

Detailed listing of all U.S. Military Active Duty deaths since 1/1/2001 giving branch of service, age at death, military occupational code, location of death, and casualty category

At the end of the fiscal year of 2024, it is estimated that there will be ** Generals serving the United States Army, and a total of ******* enlisted personnel. Military personnel The military departments in the United States are: the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Marine Corps, and the U.S. Coast Guards. The President of the United States is the military’s overall head and forms the military policy with the U.S. Department of Defense. The U.S. military is one of the largest militaries in term of number of personnel. The largest branch of the United States Armed Forces is the United States Army. The United States Army is responsible for land-based military operations. The active duty U.S. Army personnel number has decreased from 2010 to 2021. In 2010, there were ******* active duty U.S. Army members, as compared to ******* in 2021. The number of active duty U.S. Navy personnel has decreased slowly over the past 20 years. In 2021, there were ******* active duty Navy members in the United States Navy. The United States Navy personnel are enlisted sailors, commissioned officers, and midshipmen. Sailors have to take part in Personnel Qualification Standards, to prove that they have mastered skills. The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States. The active duty U.S. Air Force personnel numbers also decreased between 1995 and 2015, although has started to increase slightly since 2015. The number decreased again in 2021, when the Air Force had ******* personnel.

Romania RO: Armed Forces Personnel: Total data was reported at 149,200.000 Person in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 150,400.000 Person for 2015. Romania RO: Armed Forces Personnel: Total data is updated yearly, averaging 177,000.000 Person from Dec 1985 (Median) to 2016, with 29 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 307,500.000 Person in 1996 and a record low of 126,000.000 Person in 1990. Romania RO: Armed Forces Personnel: Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Romania – Table RO.World Bank.WDI: Defense and Official Development Assistance. Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.; ; International Institute for Strategic Studies, The Military Balance.; Sum; Data for some countries are based on partial or uncertain data or rough estimates.

European Union military size for 2020 was 1,913,000, a 0.16% increase from 2019.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>European Union military size for 2019 was <strong>1,910,000</strong>, a <strong>0.51% decline</strong> from 2018.</li>
<li>European Union military size for 2018 was <strong>1,919,805</strong>, a <strong>0.04% increase</strong> from 2017.</li>
<li>European Union military size for 2017 was <strong>1,919,000</strong>, a <strong>2.47% decline</strong> from 2016.</li>
</ul>Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.

United States US: Armed Forces Personnel: Total data was reported at 1,348,400.000 Person in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,347,300.000 Person for 2015. United States US: Armed Forces Personnel: Total data is updated yearly, averaging 1,546,000.000 Person from Sep 1985 (Median) to 2016, with 29 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,240,000.000 Person in 1989 and a record low of 1,347,300.000 Person in 2015. United States US: Armed Forces Personnel: Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Defense and Official Development Assistance. Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.; ; International Institute for Strategic Studies, The Military Balance.; Sum; Data for some countries are based on partial or uncertain data or rough estimates.

Historical chart and dataset showing Japan military size by year from 1985 to 2020.

Norway military size for 2020 was 25,000, a 8.7% increase from 2019.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Norway military size for 2019 was <strong>23,000</strong>, a <strong>1.08% decline</strong> from 2018.</li>
<li>Norway military size for 2018 was <strong>23,250</strong>, a <strong>1.09% increase</strong> from 2017.</li>
<li>Norway military size for 2017 was <strong>23,000</strong>, a <strong>3.97% decline</strong> from 2016.</li>
</ul>Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.

Mexico military size for 2020 was 341,000, a 3.96% increase from 2019.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Mexico military size for 2019 was <strong>328,000</strong>, a <strong>5.75% decline</strong> from 2018.</li>
<li>Mexico military size for 2018 was <strong>348,000</strong>, a <strong>3.57% increase</strong> from 2017.</li>
<li>Mexico military size for 2017 was <strong>336,000</strong>, a <strong>0.01% decline</strong> from 2016.</li>
</ul>Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.

Russia military size for 2020 was 1,454,000, a 0% increase from 2019.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Russia military size for 2019 was <strong>1,454,000</strong>, a <strong>0% increase</strong> from 2018.</li>
<li>Russia military size for 2018 was <strong>1,454,000</strong>, a <strong>0% increase</strong> from 2017.</li>
<li>Russia military size for 2017 was <strong>1,454,000</strong>, a <strong>0% increase</strong> from 2016.</li>
</ul>Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.