Countries Where America Has the Most Soldiers

AngeloYoung
May 29, 2023
The United States has an extensive global military network that by far is the world’s largest.

The country operates about 750 bases in 80 countries abroad. About 60% of these facilities are larger than 10 acres or worth more than $10 million, and they typically house at least 200 military personnel. Smaller bases, known as “Lily Pads,” make up the rest.
To find the countries where America has the most soldiers, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed Aljazeera’s report: Infographic: US military presence around the world. Countries, including one U.S. territory, are ranked by the number of troops, with data as of July 2021. Total bases per country also comes from the report. The number of troops in Iraq were adjusted to reflect more recent information.
According to data from the Conflict Management and Peace Science Journal, the U.S. had about 173,000 troops deployed in 159 counties as of 2020. But most of these American active service members -- about 160,000 of them -- are located in 14 countries and Guam, an unincorporated Pacific island territory of the United States.
Interestingly, the two countries with the largest U.S. overseas military presences are the ones that initiated World War II: Germany and Japan. What began as U.S. military occupations of these two defeated Axis states in the years after the war has evolved into cooperative relationships between close military, political, and economic allies.
The numbers of U.S. troops in any of these bases vary as active service members are regularly redeployed, but these estimates offer a snapshot of where the U.S. prioritizes its global security operations. For example, U.S. troops numbers have been edging downward in Germany but increasing in Italy, which is closer to the Middle East and North Africa. This reflects the shifting focus of the U.S.’s global security operations since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the ongoing global war on terror. (This is the year the most americans died in war.)
Of the top 15 largest U.S. overseas military presences, seven are located in countries of the North American Treaty Organization; four are in the Asia-Pacific region, including the unincorporated U.S. territory of Guam; three are in the Middle East; and one is located in the Caribbean: the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba, America’s oldest overseas naval base.
15. Cuba
> Number of US troops: 731
> Number of US bases: 1 – #14 most
The Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is the oldest overseas United States Naval Base. The 45-square-mile compound has been leased since 1903 and has endured through the 1959 Cuban Revolution that brought Soviet-aligned communists to power in the Caribbean Sea’s largest island country.
Since 2002, the base has housed an offshore detention camp for hundreds of prisoners from the global war on terror, mostly Afghans, Saudis, and Yemenis. According to a May report by Human Rights Watch, 36 prisoners still remain at the facility, and only two of them have been convicted of a crime.
14. Norway
> Number of US troops: 733
> Number of US bases: 7 – #12 most
As original members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the U.S. and Norway have close military ties. Norway’s neighbors Sweden and Finland have remained unaligned to NATO until recently, making Norway the northernmost member of the military alliance. It is also a strategic area for the U.S. and other allies to maintain a military presence in and near Europe’s Arctic region in close proximity to northern Russia.
13. Australia
> Number of US troops: 1,085
> Number of US bases: 7 – #11 most
Australia was a fighting ally of the United States in every conflict of the past century, including World War I. The two countries cooperate in Eastern Hemisphere security operations and agreements. Since 2012, more than 8,000 U.S. Marines have trained alongside the Australian Defense Force, according to the U.S. State Department.
12. Belgium
> Number of US troops: 1,147
> Number of US bases: 11 – #9 most
The U.S. maintains military operations in five European countries, including Belgium. Belgium hosts slightly more U.S. troops after Norway. U.S. bases in the fifth-smallest European Union country by population include U.S. Army Garrison Benelux, an abbreviation for Belgium and its neighbors Netherlands and Luxembourg. USAG Benelux is one of the most important in the area because it supports complementary bases located in France, Germany, and the U.K.
11. Turkey
> Number of US troops: 1,685
> Number of US bases: 13 – #7 most
Relations between the U.S. and Turkey, a NATO member since 1952, have cooled considerably under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his authoritarian style leadership. But Turkey is also a strategic location for the U.S. military in a region wrought with instability. The future of Incirlik Air Base, one of the most important American outposts in the region, is murky as Turkey forges closer ties to Russia.
10. Iraq
> Number of US troops: 2,500
> Number of US bases: Unknown
Nearly 11 years after the end of the Second Gulf War and more than two years after U.S. President Donald Trump began scaling down U.S. military presence in Iraq, the U.S. still maintains troops on the ground as Islamic State fighters are still active in the country and in neighboring Syria. Last year, Military Times described the U.S. presence as a “strict advise-and-assist role at the invitation of the Iraqi government.”
9. Kuwait
> Number of US troops: 2,169
> Number of US bases: 10 – #10 most
More than three decades after a U.S.-led coalition rescued Kuwait from Iraqi invasion and protected the area’s oil fields from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s clutches, the U.S. maintains a strong military presence in the Gulf state of 4.2 million people that is situated between Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. The largest U.S. base is Camp Arifjan, south of Kuwait City, where members of all branches of the U.S. military as well as military personnel from allied countries are forward deployed.
8. Spain
> Number of US troops: 3,168
> Number of US bases: 4 – #13 most
The European Union’s fourth-largest country by population also has the third-largest U.S. military presence in the 27-nation trading bloc, after Germany and Italy. The U.S. presence is anchored by two large bases: Naval Station Rota in southern Cádiz province (aka the “Gateway to the Mediterranean”) and Morón Air Base near the southeastern city of Seville.
7. Bahrain
> Number of US troops: 3,731
> Number of US bases: 12 – #8 most
The tiny island in the Arabian Gulf has been designated by the U.S. a “major non-NATO ally.” Iran has periodically laid claim to Bahrain due to the island’s historic ties to Persia. Bahrain offers an enticing strategic location for the U.S. military, situated near Saudi Arabia’s major oil fields and vital shipping channels between two adversarial states, Saudi Arabia and Iran.
6. Guam
> Number of US troops: 6,140
> Number of US bases: 54 – #4 most
Guam is an unincorporated territory of the United States whose people are American citizens, so technically U.S. military troops and bases in Guam are not “overseas.” However, the island is closer to the Philippines than to Hawaii, making U.S. military installations and troops there distant from the contiguous United States – much farther away from home than the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Guam’s strategic location – which puts it within range of North Korean missiles – has turned it into the largest U.S. military outpost in the Pacific Region outside of Japan.
5. United Kingdom
> Number of US troops: 9,274
> Number of US bases: 25 – #6 most
The U.S. military presence in the United Kingdom is the largest outside of continental Europe and Asia and dates back to 1942, when Britain invited the Americans to use Royal Air Force airfields. Today, the U.S. operates numerous bases in Britain, such as the extensive RAF Alconbury military base in Cambridgeshire, about 60 miles from London. This and other bases are operated by the U.S., but the rules and regulations are created and enforced by the British government.
4. Italy
> Number of US troops: 12,247
> Number of US bases: 44 – #5 most
Italy’s proximity to the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe has made it an ideal location for the U.S. to plant one of its largest centers of military power abroad. While Germany remains home to Europe’s largest U.S. overseas military infrastructure, the U.S. has pivoted toward southern Europe since the global war on terror began after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The U.S. maintains numerous military complexes in Italy, from Naples and Sicily in the south to Aviano and Pisa in the north.
3. South Korea
> Number of US troops: 25,414
> Number of US bases: 73 – #3 most
Though the Korean War technically ended in 1953, the two Koreas have never signed a peace treaty, which has made the Korean Peninsula one of the world’s hot spots for a potential military eruption. The United States maintains one of its largest military presences abroad in South Korea, assuring that any attack from the Hermit Kingdom in the north would immediately involve the U.S. in direct military confrontation. The largest U.S. overseas military base is Camp Humphreys, a U.S. Army garrison located about 40 miles south of Seoul.
2. Germany
> Number of US troops: 33,948
> Number of US bases: 119 – #2 most
Germany has been vital to U.S. military strategy in Europe since the end of World War II, through the decade-long post-war Allied occupation of the county and the tumultuous years of the Cold War that divided Germany. The U.S. European Command, the coordinator of all American forces in 51 countries, is headquartered in the southwestern city of Stuttgart.
Germany remains home to the second-largest U.S. overseas military presence in the world, but the number of American active service members there has declined in recent years as the U.S. responds to a “shifting and increasingly global security situation,” reported German news agency Deutsche Welle in 2020.
1. Japan
> Number of US troops: 53,713
> Number of US bases: 120 – #1 most
Recent tensions between the People’s Republic of China and the U.S., which included a recent military exercise by China, including reportedly a ballistic missile launched into Japanese waters, all but assure a continued robust U.S. military footprint in Japan.
The country has long hosted the largest U.S. overseas military presence in the world. U.S. Forces Japan is headquartered at Yokota Air Base in Fussa city, in western Tokyo, where operations supporting the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command are centered. The command is similar to the U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany.
 

The 30 Largest Militaries in the World

DOUGLASA. MCINTYRE
August 15, 2022
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began in late February, is approaching the half-year mark. It was a conflict that many experts expected to be over in a matter of weeks, if not days. Even for those who are not military experts, a quick end to the conflict seemed a likely outcome when considering the vast difference in military power between the two nations. Russia has close to 1.5 million personnel in its armed forces, according to estimates reported by the World Bank, compared to Ukraine’s 311,000.
Another difference between Russia and Ukraine is in defense spending. While Russian military spending topped $61.7 billion in 2020, Ukraine’s was $5.9 billion. However, in many places, Ukrainian forces have pushed back the Russians. The Ukrainian forces have inflicted serious damage on the invaders and claim to have killed nearly 19,000 Russian soldiers, The Guardian reported on April 8.
Among the reasons given for the Ukrainian forces impressive performance is availability of advanced weapons from NATO countries, the fact that Ukrainians operate in areas they know well that the Russians do not, and the high morale of the defenders. (These are wars in which the most Americans died.)
Military size, based on military personnel, is, therefore, only one measure of how successful any country may be in a conflict. The U.S. spends more on its military than any other country. It also has among the world’s most sophisticated weapons. Still, a huge military has significant advantages in many conflicts. Certainly, the Chinese showed this in the Korean War.
Using armed forces personnel data from the World Bank, 24/7 Wall St. identified the country with the world’s largest militaries. Personnel counts are for 2019 and include active-duty military personnel as well as paramilitary personnel. Only paramilitary personnel whose training, organization, and equipment suggest they could be used alongside — or in lieu of — a more traditional military were included. Their inclusion means that personnel estimates may differ from other published estimates.
We also considered military spending, both in U.S. dollars and as a share of GDP. Though many of the countries with the largest militaries also tend to invest more than average on their armed forces, no country has a larger defense budget than the United States. The U.S. spent $778.2 billion on its military in 2020, triple the amount spent by China, the country with the second largest military budget, and more than 12 times Russia’s spending.
The country with the world’s largest military is India with over 3 million military and paramilitary personnel. India’s military spending in 2020 totaled $72.9 billion. (Find out if India also has the world’s largest navy.)
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[This classification is by personnel, not spending, as the US has the largest military spending of all countries by far]

30. Bangladesh
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 227,000 (0.3% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $4.6 billion (1.3% of GDP)
>Total population: 164,689,383
29. Morocco
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 246,000 (2.0% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $4.8 billion (4.3% of GDP)
>Total population: 36,910,558
28. Saudi Arabia
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 252,000 (1.7% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $57.5 billion (8.4% of GDP)
>Total population: 34,813,867
27. Japan
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 261,000 (0.4% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $49.1 billion (1.0% of GDP)
>Total population: 125,836,021
26. Syrian Arab Republic
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 269,000 (5.2% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: N/A
>Total population: 17,500,657
25. Afghanistan
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 278,000 (2.7% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $279.6 million (1.4% of GDP)
>Total population: 38,928,341
24. France
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 304,000 (1.0% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $52.7 billion (2.1% of GDP)
>Total population: 67,391,582
23. Ukraine
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 311,000 (1.5% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $5.9 billion (4.1% of GDP)
>Total population: 44,134,693
22. Sri Lanka
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 317,000 (3.7% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $1.6 billion (1.9% of GDP)
>Total population: 21,919,000
21. Algeria
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 317,000 (2.5% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $9.7 billion (6.7% of GDP)
>Total population: 43,851,043
20. Mexico
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 328,000 (0.6% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $6.1 billion (0.6% of GDP)
>Total population: 128,932,753
19. Iraq
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 341,000 (3.3% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $7.0 billion (4.1% of GDP)
>Total population: 40,222,503
18. Italy
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 342,000 (1.3% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $28.9 billion (1.6% of GDP)
>Total population: 59,554,023
17. Venezuela
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 343,000 (3.1% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: N/A
>Total population: 28,435,943
16. Thailand
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 455,000 (1.2% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $7.3 billion (1.5% of GDP)
>Total population: 69,799,978
15. Colombia
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 481,000 (1.8% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $9.2 billion (3.4% of GDP)
>Total population: 50,882,884
14. Turkey
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 512,000 (1.5% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $17.7 billion (2.8% of GDP)
>Total population: 84,339,067
13. Myanmar
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 513,000 (2.2% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $2.4 billion (2.9% of GDP)
>Total population: 54,409,794
12. Vietnam
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 522,000 (0.9% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: N/A
>Total population: 97,338,583
11. South Korea
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 613,000 (2.1% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $45.7 billion (2.8% of GDP)
>Total population: 51,780,579
10. Iran
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 650,000 (2.4% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $15.8 billion (2.2% of GDP)
>Total population: 83,992,953
9. Indonesia
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 676,000 (0.5% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $9.4 billion (0.9% of GDP)
>Total population: 273,523,621
8. Brazil
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 762,000 (0.7% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $19.7 billion (1.4% of GDP)
>Total population: 212,559,409
7. Egypt
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 836,000 (3.0% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $4.5 billion (1.2% of GDP)
>Total population: 102,334,403
6. Pakistan
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 943,000 (1.3% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $10.4 billion (4.0% of GDP)
>Total population: 220,892,331
5. United States
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 1,388,000 (0.8% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $778.2 billion (3.7% of GDP)
>Total population: 329,484,123
4. Russian Federation
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 1,454,000 (2.0% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $61.7 billion (4.3% of GDP)
>Total population: 144,104,080
3. North Korea
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 1,469,000 (8.7% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: N/A
>Total population: 25,778,815
2. China
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 2,535,000 (0.3% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $252.3 billion (1.7% of GDP)
>Total population: 1,410,929,362
1. India
> Military and paramilitary personnel: 3,045,000 (0.6% of labor force)
> Military spending, 2020: $72.9 billion (2.9% of GDP)
>Total population: 1,380,004,385