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Army comparison: Flag of North Korea North Korea vs Flag of Russia Russia

Russia's army fields 16,790 active vehicles — 2.6:1 North Korea's 6,537. Additionally, North Korea has 0 and Russia has 10,460 vehicles in storage.

ARMS (Armour and Manpower Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of North Korea North KoreaWorld #11 38.2
ARMS Index / 100

Russia leads on 8 of 8 categories

Flag of Russia RussiaWorld #3 68.2
  • 4,235 Main battle tanksweight ×10 · era 3,460+2,100 stored
  • 0 Rocket artilleryweight ×8 · era 1,199+1,250 stored
  • 0 Self-propelled artilleryweight ×6 · era 1,806+2,060 stored
  • 32 Infantry fighting vehiclesweight ×4 · era 1,950
  • 0 Towed artilleryweight ×3 · era 670+3,950 stored
  • 1,710 Armoured personnel carriersweight ×2 · era 4,742+1,000 stored
  • 560 Light armoured vehiclesweight ×2 · era 308+100 stored
  • 0 Protected mobility vehiclesweight ×0.5 · era 2,655
North Korea Russia Bars: weighted contribution to the ARMS Index (vehicles × category weight × era, active + 0.3 × stored; manpower and the rotary, armament and availability multipliers apply on top) · figures: active vehicles at each side's latest inventory year · Methodology
Key figures as of 2026
North Korea Russia Ratio
Total vehicles 6,537 16,790 🇷🇺 2.6×
In storage 0 10,460 🇷🇺
On order 0 50 🇷🇺
Main battle tanks 4,235 3,460 🇰🇵 1.2×
Artillery pieces 0 3,675 🇷🇺
Armoured fighting vehicles 2,302 9,655 🇷🇺 4.2×
Active military personnel (all branches) 1,280,000 1,100,000 🇰🇵 1.2×
Reserve military personnel (all branches) 600,000 1,500,000 🇷🇺 2.5×
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Infantry fighting vehicles 32 1,950 🇷🇺 61×
Armoured personnel carriers 1,710 4,742 🇷🇺 2.8×
Self-propelled artillery 0 1,806 🇷🇺
Towed artillery 0 670 🇷🇺
Rocket artillery 0 1,199 🇷🇺
Backbone vehicles most numerous in service
🇰🇵 North KoreaT-62 / TR-580 / Tiran ×2,200BTR-80 ×32BTR-60 ×1,200
🇷🇺 RussiaT-72 ×1,470BMP-1 ×7502S3 Akatsiya ×600
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more armored vehicles, North Korea or Russia?
Russia has a larger ground force with 16,790 vehicles compared to North Korea's 6,537 vehicles.
Which country has more tanks, North Korea or Russia?
North Korea operates more main battle tanks with 4,235 compared to Russia's 3,460.
Which army has more infantry fighting vehicles, North Korea or Russia?
Russia has 1,950 infantry fighting vehicles compared to North Korea's 32.
Which country has more armored personnel carriers, North Korea or Russia?
Russia operates 4,742 APCs compared to North Korea's 1,710.
Which country has more artillery systems, North Korea or Russia?
Russia fields 3,675 artillery systems (self-propelled, towed, and MLRS) compared to North Korea's 0.
How do the North Korea and Russia armies compare in size?
Russia's army is 2.6 times larger than North Korea's in terms of total vehicles (16,790 vs 6,537).