The Israel-Hamas war has raised fears that the conflict could spread to other parts of the Middle East.
While Israel has the support of the United States, which has the most advanced army in the world, Hamas is backed by Iran, one of the world’s 15 largest military powers.
This chart shows the top 10 countries in the Middle East by total military personnel as of August 2024. The data comes from GlobalFirepower.com and includes both active and reserve personnel.
Egypt and Iran Have the Largest Armies in the Region
Egypt and Iran have the largest armies in the Middle East, each country with over 1 million personnel.
In third place, Turkey has over 800,000 personnel. In fourth place, Israel’s forces include 170,000 active personnel and over 465,000 in reserve, as conscription to military service is compulsory for all Israelis who turn 18.
In addition to its sizable force, Iran possesses the largest missile arsenal in the Middle East and the fifth-largest rocket artillery globally. Moreover, Iran has the largest standing military in the Middle East, with over 500,000 active-duty forces.
To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic about the biggest armies in the world.
