In this article, we list and discuss the 20 Countries with the Strongest Paramilitary Forces in the World. If you would like to skip our detailed discussion of the topic, you can go directly to the top 5 Countries with the Strongest Paramilitary Forces in the World.
In recent years and throughout history, governments have involved paramilitary forces on many occasions, mostly to counter the ongoing tense situations within the country. For example, in 2014, when Russian-backed armed forces were taking charge in Ukraine, a self-funded paramilitary group, Azov Battalion, was formed to fight the crisis. Another time, in 2019, the Chinese government deployed a paramilitary force, the People’s Armed Police (PAP), to quell the protests in Hong Kong.
A paramilitary force or quasi-military is basically a semi-militarized force that has the same organizational structure, tactics, and training, as well as functions as a professional military force. But formally, it is neither a part of a military force nor a civil force. Although paramilitary forces may seem similar to military forces, there are subtle differences in both forces.
A military force is a highly trained armed force formally organized and operated under the sovereign government with the primary role of defending the country from external threats, upholding national security, and engaging in warfare when necessary. Military forces are often subject to strict hierarchical command structures and operate according to established laws and regulations.
On the other hand, paramilitary forces are deployed with a specific purpose; internal security, counter-insurgency (action taken against revolutionaries), or assisting military forces in non-combat operations. Unlike the traditional military, paramilitary forces operate with more flexibility and less accountability.
In global politics and conflicts, paramilitary forces help counter unforeseen internal events, such as violence, protests, ethnic riots, etc. Moreover, these forces are often on the front lines when it comes to protecting high-profile sites and infrastructure, as well as protecting VIPs and fighting terrorism within the country. For instance, in September of 2023, when six footballers were abducted by a militant group in the Balochistan province of Pakistan, Pakistan’s government turned to paramilitary forces to rescue the players.
While paramilitary might help with stability within the country, if not managed by the government, the same forces can become the reason for igniting civil unrest. Since these forces are used during unforeseen emergencies, such as violent civil protests against the sovereign government, they operate more flexibly. They might act outside the law, committing human rights abuses and engaging in unlawful activities against the protesting civilians, which can pose a threat to public safety. However, the risks vary from country to country. For instance, in its Preventing Private Paramilitary Activity Act of 2024, the Congress of the United States declared unauthorized private paramilitary forces as unlawful. So individuals who consider joining such groups can face potential legal consequences.
Furthermore, this legislation may diminish the demand for arms and ammunition used by private paramilitary groups, which might potentially impact the sales of firearm companies in the United States. Some key players in the US firearm industry are Sturm Ruger & Company Inc (NYSE: RGR), Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ: SWBI), and Olin Corp (NYSE: OLN).
Sturm Ruger & Company Inc (NYSE: RGR), also known as only Ruger, is one of the leading firearms companies in the US. However, last year, in Q3 2023, the company experienced a fall in its firearm demand, resulting in around 13% decline in the net sales for Q3 2023, which was $120.9 million, down from $139.4 million in Q3 2022. Christopher Killoy, the CEO of Sturm Ruger & Company Inc (NYSE: RGR), explains that the reason behind this decline was the market going back to pre-pandemic trends; in COVID-19, firearms demand was on the rise. The Preventing Private Paramilitary Activity Act of 2024 might further push down the sales of Ruger.
On the other hand, Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ: SWBI), which is the leading pistol manufacturer in America, experienced a jump in sales despite the ongoing decline in the firearm market. The financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 showed year-over-year net sales of $114.2 million, an increase of $29.8 million from Q1 2023, which is a staggering growth of 35.4%. Mark Smith, the president and CEO of Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ: SWBI), is very pleased with the company’s performance so far.
Meanwhile, Olin Corp (NYSE: OLN), one of the leading chemicals and ammunition manufacturers, has been struggling lately as its sales declined faster than most other companies mainly due to reduced commercial demand and higher commodity costs. Olin Corp (NYSE: OLN)’s Q4 2023 net income reported $52.9 million, which is a decrease of $143.7 million compared to Q4 2022. The new legislation prohibiting private paramilitary groups in the United States might further hurt Olin Corp’s (NYSE: OLN) earnings in the upcoming quarter.
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Our Methodology
For our list of 20 Countries with the Strongest Paramilitary Forces in the World, we have considered two metrics: the strength of paramilitary forces by number and the 2024 expenditure budget for military forces for each country. We’ve ranked the countries based on weighted-averaged rankings on these two metrics, with the former having a weightage of 70% and the latter having a weightage of 30%. The list is in descending order, starting with the top twentieth country and ending with the topmost country, with the final rankings adjusted according to their weighted-averaged rankings. The defense expenditure for these countries has been sourced from Global Firepower Index of 2024.
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20 Countries with the Strongest Paramilitary Forces in the World
20. Cuba
Paramilitary Strength by Numbers: 1,145,000
Military Expenditure Budget for 2024: $2,533,000,000
Weighted Average: 21.9
Cuba has the twentieth strongest and one of the largest paramilitary forces in the world today, with an active paramilitary manpower of 1,145,500. The Cuban government has allocated $2.5 billion to its defense budget for 2024, out of which a sizable portion will be used towards the paramilitary forces, which make up about 93.05% of the total Cuban military manpower and 10.4% of the country’s total population. Cuba’s paramilitary forces include the Territorial Troops Militia and the National Revolutionary Militia.
19. Mexico
Paramilitary Strength by Numbers: 120,000
Military Expenditure Budget for 2024: $14,824,000,000
Weighted Average: 21.5
Mexico’s paramilitary forces have a substantial manpower of around 120,000 personnel, which makes it the twentieth-largest paramilitary in the world as of 2024. With a defense budget of over $14 billion, Mexico’s paramilitary forces make up about 19.03% of its total military. The Mexican paramilitary forces play a major role in combating organized crime and drug cartels.
18. Italy
Paramilitary Strength by Numbers: 105,000
Military Expenditure Budget for 2024: $31,600,000,000
Weighted Average: 19.9
In comparison with other countries on the list, Italy has a much smaller paramilitary force, with an active paramilitary manpower of only 105,000. However, the country has a huge defense budget – of $31.6 billion, and the overall military ranks among the top ten global military forces. Since the paramilitary makes up about 36.33% of the country’s complete military force, a substantial amount of the defense budget goes towards the modernization, technological advancement, health, and training of the paramilitary forces.
17. Vietnam
Paramilitary Strength by Numbers: 250,000
Military Expenditure Budget for 2024: $7,900,000,000
Weighted Average: 18.7
Vietnam’s paramilitary forces are diverse and include various units like the People’s Public Security and Border Defense Force. Their paramilitary forces include around 250,000 personnel Vietnam’s powerful paramilitary has been shaped by a history of conflicts. The country also has a maritime military force, the Permanent Maritime Militia Unit, that actively patrols and safeguards the coastline and maritime interests. It is one of the countries with the most powerful paramilitary.
16. Colombia
Paramilitary Strength by Numbers: 150,000
Military Expenditure Budget for 2024: $14,012,180,000
Weighted Average: 18.6
Colombia has a paramilitary force with a manpower of over 150,000. Colombia’s paramilitary forces are also internationally recognized for their expertise in jungle warfare due to decades of combating guerilla groups. As of 2024, Colombia’s military budget is over $14 billion, which helps with equipping the country’s paramilitary forces as they make up about 31.37% of the entire Colombian military manpower.
15. Pakistan
Paramilitary Strength by Numbers: 500,000
Military Expenditure Budget for 2024: $6,349,876,689
Weighted Average: 18.3
Pakistan, having the ninth strongest military in the world as of 2024, has a paramilitary force with over 500,000 personnel. Although the country has a modest defense budget of over $6 billion, since the paramilitary makes up about 29.34% of the country’s overall manpower, Pakistan allocates a substantial amount of resources to its paramilitary forces as well.
There are a number of paramilitary forces in the country, with the most prominent being the Civil Armed Forces (CAF), which itself comprises 9 different paramilitary groups. Out of these, the most prominent ones are Sindh Rangers and Punjab Rangers. Overall, Pakistan’s paramilitary mainly focuses on counterterrorism, border security, and combating criminals.
14. South Korea
Paramilitary Strength by Numbers: 120,000
Military Expenditure Budget for 2024: $44,700,000,000
Weighted Average: 18
South Korea has a large paramilitary force with a manpower of 120,000. For 2024, the country’s defense budget stands at $44.7 billion, which is the 11th highest in the world this year. Even though the paramilitary makes up only 3.14% of the overall South Korean military, there is no denying that the country’s military strength is among the top 5 global militaries. South Korea invests in cutting-edge technology and training for its paramilitary, using technologies like artificial intelligence in its paramilitary operations.
13. Iran
Paramilitary Strength by Numbers: 220,000
Military Expenditure Budget for 2024: $9,954,451,000
Weighted Average: 17.6
With a long history of warfare and internal conflicts, The Islamic Republic of Iran has a strong military and paramilitary force to protect the country from all kinds of threats. As of 2024, the country boasts a total of 220,000 paramilitary personnel, which is about 18.64% of the total military and 0.3% of the total population.
The primary force of Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), established many paramilitary forces to exercise operational control over the Persian Gulf. The Basij, one of the IRGC’s five forces, is one of the country’s largest paramilitary volunteer militia, with about 90,000 active personnel. It is often deployed for crackdowns on drug traffickers and smugglers.
12. Turkiye
Paramilitary Strength by Numbers: 150,000
Military Expenditure Budget for 2024: $40,000,000,000
Weighted Average: 16.5
With a defense budget of $40 billion, Turkiye, officially the Republic of Türkiye, boasts one of the strongest military forces in the world. Part of that budget is spent on paramilitary, which makes up about 16.97% of the total military — 0.2% of the total population. Moreover, the paramilitary forces are the second largest corps after the army, with the Turkish Gendarmerie as the main unit with 100,000 personnel.
On March 6, 2024, the Turkish Gendarmerie force destructed a total of 59 caves, bunkers, and explosive depots of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is a Kurdish militant political organization with an aim to gain control of Kurdish areas of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey to advance Kurdish rights and recognition.
11. Algeria
Paramilitary Strength by Numbers: 150,000
Military Expenditure Budget for 2024: $21,600,000,000
Weighted Average: 16.4
Ranked 11 on the list, Algeria is a North African country with a defense budget of over $21 billion. As of 2024, it has a paramilitary force of 150,000 personnel, making up 24.59% of the total military force and 0.3% of the total population. Most of these numbers come from the Gendarmerie Nationale, the largest paramilitary body in Algeria mainly used for maintaining law and order in villages, towns, and rural areas.
10. Egypt
Paramilitary Strength by Numbers: 300,000
Military Expenditure Budget for 2024: $9,400,000,000
Weighted Average: 15.4
With an annual defense spending of over $9 billion, Egypt is a country with a fairly strong military of around 1,220,000 personnel. The military has a paramilitary strength of 300,000 personnel, which makes up 24.59% of the total manpower and 0.3% of the country’s population. The Central Security Force (CSF) is the main paramilitary unit in Egypt responsible for protecting sensitive government sites and subduing civil disturbances.
9. Brazil
Paramilitary Strength by Numbers: 200,000
Military Expenditure Budget for 2024: $24,752,000,000
Weighted Average: 14.5
Brazil is the largest country in South America, with a population of over 218 million people. The country’s armed forces comprise 900,000 military personnel, 200,000 of whom are paramilitary forces. The paramilitary force makes up 22.22% of the total military and 0.1% of the total population of Brazil. Moreover, the Brazilian army has a paramilitary unit, Special Operations Command, responsible for fighting terrorism within the country – mostly taking down other illegal paramilitary groups, mainly in Rio de Janeiro.
8. Venezuela
Paramilitary Strength by Numbers: 220,000
Military Expenditure Budget for 2024: $24,120,000,000
Weighted Average: 14.4
With a defense budget of $24,120,000,000 and total paramilitary personnel totaling 220,000, Venezuela ranks in the top 10 countries with the strongest paramilitary in the world. As of 2024, the country comprises plenty of authorized paramilitary units, including the National Bolivarian Armed Forces as well as the National Guard and national militia, which are primarily focused on internal security matters such as combating drug trafficking, exercising rescue operations, and aiding civilians in case of natural disasters.
7. France
Paramilitary Strength by Numbers: 150,000
Military Expenditure Budget for 2024: $49,730,000,000
Weighted Average: 14.2
France, one of the richest countries in Europe, has allocated almost $50 billion to its defense this year. Out of this, a substantial portion may go to the paramilitary force of 150,000 personnel, as it makes up about 39.89% of the total military and 0.2% of the country’s population. The main paramilitary force in France is the Gendarmerie Nationale, a police force under the administrative control of the Ministry of Interior, responsible for ensuring public safety through all kinds of internal threats.
In 2021, Gendarmerie Nationale, with the support of Europol, dismantled a crime group involved in a 13 million EURO financial fraud and money laundering scam across Europe.
6. Bangladesh
Paramilitary Strength by Numbers: 6,800,000
Military Expenditure Budget for 2024: $6,995,040,000
Weighted Average: 13.6
In terms of paramilitary strength in numbers, Bangladesh has the most paramilitary personnel in the world. With a manpower of 6,800,000, the Bangladeshi paramilitary makes up 97.66% of its overall military and comprises about 4.1% of the total country population.
The main paramilitary forces of Bangladesh include the Border Guard Bangladesh-BGB, Coast Guard, Village Defense Force, and Ansar. These forces are deployed during protests, political events, or any out-of-order activity within the country. Last year, in November of 2023, a total of 65,000 Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP) personnel were deployed across the country in railways, waterways, and highways to ensure public safety during anarchy and arson by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
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Disclosure: None. 20 Countries with the Strongest Paramilitary Forces in the World is originally published on Insider Monkey.