These Are the Nations Without a Military

The Russian invasion of Ukraine reminds the world of the massive force of a large military. Russia, with nearly 1.5 million military and paramilitary personnel, is the fourth-largest military in the world after India, China, and North Korea. Russia has also threatened it might use part of its nuclear arsenal. It is one of only nine countries with these weapons. (These are the countries that control the world’s nuclear weapons.)

The invasion of Ukraine also shows that a standing army may not be the only military force in a country. Ukraine’s military numbers 196,000, but many of its citizens have joined in the battle for independence.

The size of military forces generally corresponds to the population. There are a few exceptions, the most notable of which is North Korea. In the United States, less than 2% of the labor force is in the military. In North Korea, the figure comes close to 9%.

Thirty-six nations in the world have no standing militaries at all, according to the CIA World Factbook, as compiled by the World Population Review. Some of these are territories. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the list, adding population figures from the World Bank.

According to World Population Review, “Countries without militaries have either been demilitarized, never established a military when the country was created, or are former colonies/dependencies of nations with militaries and are still under the protection of those countries.” 

Greenland is an example. The largest island in the world is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Another country without a military is Liechtenstein. Its population is only 39,000. It covers only 62 square miles and sits between Austria and Switzerland.

The Falkland Islands is another territory without a military. It was the site of a war between the United Kingdom and Argentina in 1982. Currently, it is a British Overseas Territory. (Many of the countries on this list are among the world’s least populated countries. And this country has the fewest residents in the world.)

Click here to see these are the nations without a military

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