You’ll Never Guess Which Country Has Millions More Paramilitary Forces Than Other World Powers

In 2023, tensions erupted in Sudan between the military and a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Years earlier, the military and RSF had worked together to oust Omar al-Bashir from power. The two then ran a transitional government before the Sudanese military performed a coup in 2021. Since that point, conversations […] The post You’ll Never Guess Which Country Has Millions More Paramilitary Forces Than Other World Powers appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

Mar 20, 2025 - 18:13

You’ll Never Guess Which Country Has Millions More Paramilitary Forces Than Other World Powers

In 2023, tensions erupted in Sudan between the military and a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Years earlier, the military and RSF had worked together to oust Omar al-Bashir from power. The two then ran a transitional government before the Sudanese military performed a coup in 2021. Since that point, conversations about military power and overreach, RSF’s integration into the military, and possible reforms have boiled over. But RSF, also known as Hemedti, has largely come out on top. During the onset of the war in 2023, the Rapid Support Forces managed to take over the Presidential Palace and several other contested areas. However, this does not seem enough for the RSF. The paramilitary group has been cited for numerous human rights violations after raiding a large refugee camp in February 2025 and killing multiple people. According to reporting by CNN, the RSF wants to capture al-Fasher, which is north of Zamzam, where the refugee camp is located. However, it remains unclear how this type of indiscriminate killing supports the RSF’s attempts to gain control of the region. The RSF claims that the refugee camp was a military stronghold, though this is disputed by several sources. (These are the 10 least peaceful nations on Earth.)

While not every country has paramilitary troops as violent as those in Sudan at this time, several countries do hold significant paramilitary forces. These forces, though not an official part of a country’s military, often receive military-esque training and can be used for counterinsurgency, security and defense, or violent takeovers. It’s important to note that while paramilitary forces can be state-sponsored, they can also emerge from extremist ideologies. Here, 24/7 Wall St. set out to understand which countries have the largest paramilitary troops. To do so, we sourced information from Global Firepower’s 2025 Military Strength Report, which assesses 145 countries on their current military standing based on factors like air power, naval power, and manpower. We listed the countries in ascending order from lowest paramilitary troop counts to highest. In areas of a tie, the country with the higher total military forces got the higher rank. We also provided supplemental information such as the military strength and world rank; the closer to 0.000, the more powerful the military.

This previously published article was updated in March 2025 to highlight changes in world rank from the Military Strength Report, as well as to illuminate the rapidly changing situation in Sudan.

Why Discuss Paramilitary Troops Now?

Military boots and camouflage trousers of many soldiers in uniform in a row under the rain and snow

The dynamics of military power are not only defined by the capacity to wage war but also by the ability to project power internationally. Paramilitary forces, especially in clashes with regular military forces or government leaders, are important in understanding how military forces influence global stability and international power structures. You can see this currently playing out in countries like Sudan and Pakistan.

In Sudan, the RSF has announced its desire to form a parallel government, causing concerns; as the Sudanese Armed Forces have surrounded the Presidential Palace, you can expect to see more conflict between the two forces, continuing and worsening government instability. In Pakistan, paramilitary troops were recently killed by Baloch separitists who are seeking independence from Pakistan. By looking at where paramilitary forces are stationed throughout the world, and which countries have the highest paramilitary forces, you can get a better idea of which countries could be on the brink of infighting — and which might also be prepared if external forces make any threats against them.

Can you guess which countries have the largest paramilitary forces?:

36. Sudan

Paramilitary forces: 17,500
Active personnel: 92,000
Reserves: 85,000
Total military personnel: 194,500
Total population: 50,467,278
Fit-for-service: 17,108,407 (33.9%)
Military strength score and world rank: 1.4756 – #73 out of 145

35. Japan

Paramilitary forces: 25,000
Active personnel: 247,150
Reserves: 56,000
Total military personnel: 328,150
Total population: 123,201,945
Fit-for-service: 42,874,277 (34.8%)
Military strength score and world rank: 0.1839 – #8 out of 145

34. Thailand

Paramilitary forces: 25,000
Active personnel: 360,850
Reserves: 200,000
Total military personnel: 585,850
Total population: 69,920,998
Fit-for-service: 27,968,399 (40.0%)
Military strength score and world rank: 0.4536 – #25 out of 145

33. Israel

Israel+MLRS | Menatetz -- Our-IDF-2018-IZE-146

Paramilitary forces: 35,000
Active personnel: 170,000
Reserves: 465,000
Total military personnel: 670,000
Total population: 9,402,617
Fit-for-service: 3,281,513 (34.9%)
Military strength score and world rank: 0.2661 – #15 out of 145

32. Poland

Poland military | Polish army with machine guns in field uniform.

Paramilitary forces: 50,000
Active personnel: 202,100
Reserves: 350,000
Total military personnel: 602,100
Total population: 38,746,310
Fit-for-service: 15,576,017 (40.2%)
Military strength score and world rank: 0.3776 – #21 out of 145

31. Taiwan

Taiwan Conducts Live Fire Military Exercises

Paramilitary forces: 55,000
Active personnel: 215,000
Reserves: 2,310,000
Total military personnel: 2,580,000
Total population: 23,595,274
Fit-for-service: 1,061,787 (4.5%)
Military strength score and world rank: 0.3988 – #22 out of 145

30. Spain

Paramilitary forces: 78,470
Active personnel: 133,282
Reserves: 15,150
Total military personnel: 226,902
Total population: 47,280,433
Fit-for-service: 17,635,602 (37.3%)
Military strength score and world rank: 0.3242 – #17 out of 145

29. Panama

Paramilitary forces: 80,000
Active personnel: 0
Reserves: 0
Total military personnel: 80,000
Total population: 4,470,271
Fit-for-service: 1,206,965 (27.0%)
Military strength score and world rank: 3.6575 – #136 out of 145

28. Afghanistan

Paramilitary forces: 80,000
Active personnel: 0
Reserves: 0
Total military personnel: 80,000
Total population: 40,121,552
Fit-for-service: 8,826,741 (22.0%)
Military strength score and world rank: 2.6442 – #118 out of 145

27. Libya

Paramilitary forces: 100,000
Active personnel: 32,000
Reserves: 0
Total military personnel: 132,000
Total population: 7,361,263
Fit-for-service: 3,290,485 (44.7%)
Military strength score and world rank: 1.4449 – #76 out of 145

26. Iraq

Paramilitary forces: 100,000
Active personnel: 193,000
Reserves: 0
Total military personnel: 293,000
Total population: 42,083,436
Fit-for-service: 14,308,368 (34.0%)
Military strength score and world rank: 0.7738 – #43 out of 145

25. Malaysia

Paramilitary forces: 100,000
Active personnel: 113,000
Reserves: 51,600
Total military personnel: 264,600
Total population: 34,564,810
Fit-for-service: 13,480,276 (39.0%)
Military strength score and world rank: 0.7429 – #42 out of 145

24. North Korea

Paramilitary forces: 100,000
Active personnel: 1,320,000
Reserves: 560,000
Total military personnel: 1,980,000
Total population: 26,298,666
Fit-for-service: 5,312,331 (20.2%)
Military strength score and world rank: 0.6016 – #34 out of 145

23. Ukraine

Ukraine+military | On Day of Defenders of Ukraine President presents orders of Gold Star, Cross of Combat Merit awards, awards military units with honorary titles.