The Top 20 Strongest Military Countries in the World, Ranked

Territorial defense is arguably the most important duty of any government. And that's why countries invest tons of money and other resources to beef up the strength and capacity of their armed forces.

We have compiled an updated list of the strongest military countries in the world and what makes them tick.

United States

The United States of America boasts the world's strongest and most funded military. With a massive budget of $740 billion, the world power maintains its lead at the top of the pack.

1

Russia's military has been a force to be reckoned with since the Soviet era. The transcontinental country is the largest by landmass worldwide and second behind the U.S. in military strength.

2

Russia

China has the second-largest military funding, $230 billion, behind the United States. They also have the second-largest tank fleet behind Russia.

3

China

India is the second-most populous country and has one of the strongest militaries. Due to its massive human resource, the military has about 5 million officers; 1.4 million are on active duty.

4

India

There are 319,000 people (250,000 on active service) in Japan's armed forces, the smallest of the top five military powers.

5

Japan

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