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NATIONAL FORCES · COMPARISON
Mongolia vs North Korea
| Overview | Mongolia | North Korea |
|---|---|---|
Active personnel DefinitionFull-time active military personnel; exclude reserves and paramilitary unless explicitly identified. | 9,700Estimate · people · November 2025 IISS assessmentSingle sourceNational full-time active military personnel; the separately reported reserve, gendarmerie and paramilitary totals are excluded. | 1,280,000Estimate · people · November 2025 IISS assessmentSingle sourceNational full-time active military personnel; the separately reported reserve, gendarmerie and paramilitary totals are excluded. |
Armed forces personnel DefinitionActive-duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces whose training, organisation, equipment and control allow them to support or replace regular forces. This is not an active-regular-only count. | 18,000people · 2020 annual observationSingle source2020 annual observation. Active-duty military personnel, including qualifying paramilitary forces; not an active-regular-only count. | 1,469,000people · 2020Single source2020 annual observation. Active-duty military personnel, including qualifying paramilitary forces; not an active-regular-only count. |
Defence spending DefinitionAnnual military expenditure in current US dollars. State fiscal year, coverage and conversion basis in notes. | US$205mEstimate · USD · 2026 IISS defence budget forecast (November 2025 assessment)Single sourceSource-reported annual official defence budget/appropriation in current US dollars; it is a budget figure, not an assertion of final expenditure or readiness. Explicit 2026 economic-table year column; USD 205m. The table was compiled in the November 2025 IISS assessment; this annual figure is an assessment/estimate and does not assert a final audited outturn. The explicit 2026 column is forward-looking relative to the November 2025 assessment and is retained as a forecast, not an observed final outturn. | US$1.6bnUSD · 2018Single source2018 annual observation. Annual military expenditure, current US dollars at the year's exchange rate; not procurement orders. |
GDP DefinitionAnnual nominal GDP in current US dollars, not purchasing-power parity. | US$26.5bnEstimate · USD · 2026 IISS nominal GDP forecast (November 2025 assessment)Single sourceAnnual nominal GDP at current market prices, in source-reported current US dollars. Excludes purchasing-power-parity GDP and real GDP growth. Explicit 2026 economic-table year column; USD 26.5bn. The table was compiled in the November 2025 IISS assessment; this annual figure is an assessment/estimate and does not assert a final audited outturn. The explicit 2026 column is forward-looking relative to the November 2025 assessment and is retained as a forecast, not an observed final outturn. | US$15.18bnEstimate · USD · 2022Single sourceEstimated nominal GDP in current US dollars for 2022, published by the UN Statistics Division using the 1968 System of National Accounts. Not purchasing-power-parity GDP or gross national income. |
Population DefinitionTotal resident population; retain the source's reference year. | 3,568,978people · 2025 annual observationSingle source2025 annual observation. Midyear resident population estimate. | 26,571,036people · 2025Single source2025 annual observation. Midyear resident population estimate. |
Reserve personnel DefinitionReported reserve personnel, with mobilisation and training definitions stated in notes. | 137,000Estimate · people · November 2025 IISS assessmentSingle sourceNational military reserve pool; excludes the separately reported active and paramilitary personnel. Training/mobilisation definitions remain source-specific. | 600,000Estimate · people · November 2025 IISS assessmentSingle sourceNational military reserve pool; excludes the separately reported active and paramilitary personnel. Training/mobilisation definitions remain source-specific. The printed ε identifies an IISS estimate. |
Combat aircraft DefinitionIn-service fixed-wing combat aircraft; exclude stored, retired and ordered aircraft. In service does not establish readiness. | —Not yet documented | 810Estimate · aircraft · Dec 2022Single sourceApproximate North Korean Air Force fixed-wing combat-aircraft force-posture total as of December 2022. The source lists trainers, ISR/C2 aircraft, transport aircraft and rotary-wing aircraft separately. This is a rounded South Korean defence ministry estimate, not a readiness measure or a current exact count. |
Main battle tanks DefinitionIn-service main battle tanks; exclude storage and orders. | —Not yet documented | ≥3,500Estimate · vehicles · 2025 edition; census date not statedSingle sourceAt least 3,500 tanks in the source’s explicit MBT category; excludes separately listed PT-76/M-1985 light tanks. |
Major surface combatants DefinitionCommissioned cruisers, destroyers and frigates. Exclude patrol craft and support vessels. | —Not yet documented | 2Estimate · vessels · 10 Jan 2025Single sourceCommissioned cruisers, destroyers and frigates in the national fleet; excludes aircraft carriers, corvettes, patrol, amphibious and support vessels. Fleet count, not immediately deployable strength. |
Nuclear warheads DefinitionWarheads in the military stockpile, deployed or in reserve; exclude retired warheads awaiting dismantlement. Independent estimates, labelled as such. | —Not yet documented | 60Estimate · warheads · 2026 estimateSingle sourceWarheads in the military stockpile: in the custody of the military and earmarked for use by military forces, deployed or in reserve. Excludes retired warheads awaiting dismantlement. |
Submarines DefinitionCommissioned submarines; exclude vessels on order and decommissioned vessels. | —Not yet documented | 71Estimate · vessels · 2025 editionSingle sourceCommissioned military submarines in the national fleet; excludes orders, construction and uncommissioned trial boats. Fleet count, not immediately deployable strength. |
Transport aircraft DefinitionIn-service dedicated fixed-wing military transport aircraft; exclude trainers and orders. | —Not yet documented | 350Estimate · aircraft · Dec 2022Single sourceApproximate North Korean Air Force fixed-wing transport-aircraft force-posture total as of December 2022, including AN-2 aircraft where operated. Uses the North Korea column; the source lists trainers and rotary-wing aircraft separately. This is a rounded South Korean defence ministry estimate, not a readiness measure or a current exact count. |
EQUIPMENT & WEAPONS
Equipment listed in inventory and operator sources, grouped by force and category. Sourced quantities retain their date, variant coverage and inventory status. Equipment without a documented count is listed by type.
268 matching equipment types
| Equipment | Mongolia | North Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Combat aircraft | ||
| Chengdu J-7 | — | 30Korean People's Army Air Force · 2025Wikipedia |
| Ilyushin Il-28 | — | 80Korean People's Army Air Force · 2025Wikipedia |
| Mikoyan MiG-29 | 22024 | 35Korean People's Army Air Force · 2025Wikipedia |
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 | — | 34Korean People's Army Air Force · 2025Wikipedia |
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 | — | 26Korean People's Army Air Force · 2025Wikipedia |
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 | — | 46Air Force · 2025 56Korean People's Army Air Force · 2025Wikipedia |
| Shenyang J-5 | — | 241Korean People's Army Air Force · 2025Wikipedia |
| Shenyang J-6 | — | 97Korean People's Army Air Force · 2025Wikipedia |
| Sukhoi Su-25 | — | 68Korean People's Army Air Force · 2025Wikipedia |
| Sukhoi Su-30 | 42019Wikipedia | — |
| Sukhoi Su-7 | — | 18Korean People's Army Air Force · 2025Wikipedia |
| Support aircraft | ||
| Antonov An-2 | — | ≥270Korean People's Army Air Force · 2026Wikipedia |
| Equipment | Mongolia | North Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Tanks | ||
| Cheonma-2 | — | In service |
| Chonma-ho | — | 1,000Korean People's Army Ground Force · 2026Wikipedia |
| K2 Black Panther | — | In service |
| Model 1981 "Shin'heung" | — | In service |
| Pokpung-ho | — | 100Korean People's Army Ground Force · 2026Wikipedia |
| PT-76 | — | 560Army · 2025 |
| T-34 | — | In service |
| T-54/T-55 | 370Army · 2025 | In service |
| T-62 | — | 800Korean People's Army Ground Force · 2026Wikipedia |
| T-72 | 1002016Wikipedia | — |
| Type 59 tank | — | 175Korean People's Army Ground Force · 2026Wikipedia |
| Armoured vehicles | ||
| BMP-1 | 310Army · 2025 | — |
| Equipment | Mongolia | North Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Air defence | ||
| 9K31 Strela-1 | In service | — |
| 9K35 Strela-10 | In service | In service |
| AK-630 | — | In service |
| HN-5 | — | In service |
| Pongae-5 | — | In service |
| S-125 Neva/Pechora | In service | 300Korean People's Army Air Force · 2026Wikipedia |
| S-200 missile system | — | In service |
| S-75 Dvina | In service | ≥179Air Force · 2025 ≥179Korean People's Army Air Force · 2025 |
| ZSU-23-4 Shilka | In service | — |
| Anti-aircraft guns | ||
| 37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K) | — | In service |
| AZP S-60 | In service | 600Korean People's Army Ground Force · 2026Wikipedia |
| ZPU | In service | In service |
| Equipment | Mongolia | North Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Small arms | ||
| 9A-91 | In service | — |
| ADS amphibious rifle | — | In service |
| AGS-17 | — | In service |
| AK-105 | — | In service |
| AK-12 | — | In service |
| AK-47 | In service | In service |
| AK-74 | In service | In service |
| AK-9 | In service | — |
| AKM | In service | In service |
| AKS-74U | In service | — |
| Browning Hi-Power | — | In service |
| CZ 75 | In service | In service |
| Equipment | Mongolia | North Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Radar & sensors | ||
| P-18 radar | — | In service |
| P-40 radar | In service | In service |
Coverage is incomplete. “Not documented” means no linked inventory evidence, not zero equipment. Methodology ↗
Points represent sourced observations, including revisions. Revisions on the same effective date are not separate inventory events. Ranges appear in the table and are not plotted as exact points.
| Observation / report period | Value | Source | Claim state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cited source 2005-07-15 | 40 units | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
| Cited source 2016-01-24 | 100 units | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
| Cited source 2019-04-02 | 4 units | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
| Cited source 2023-02-15 | 370 units | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
| Cited source 2023-02-15 | 130 units | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
| Cited source 2023-02-15 | 35 units | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
| Cited source 2023-02-15 | 85 units | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
| Cited source 2023-02-15 | 150 units | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
| Cited source 2023-02-15 | 310 units | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
| Cited source 2023-02-15 | 120 units | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
| 2024 cited source period | 2 units | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
| 2024 cited source period | 2 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| 8 Oct 2024 | 2 units | FlightGlobal / Cirium; public copy hosted by Zambia Air Force | approved |
| 8 Oct 2024 | 2 units | FlightGlobal / Cirium; public copy hosted by Zambia Air Force | approved |
| 8 Oct 2024 | 3 units | FlightGlobal / Cirium; public copy hosted by Zambia Air Force | approved |
| November 2025 IISS assessment | 40 units | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | approved |
| November 2025 IISS assessment | 370 units | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | approved |
| November 2025 IISS assessment | 10 units | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | approved |
| November 2025 IISS assessment | ≥2 units | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | approved |
| November 2025 IISS assessment | 2 units | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | approved |
| November 2025 IISS assessment | 20 units | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | approved |
| November 2025 IISS assessment | 150 units | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | approved |
| November 2025 IISS assessment | 120 units | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | approved |
| November 2025 IISS assessment | 310 units | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | approved |
| November 2025 IISS assessment | 130 units | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | approved |
| November 2025 IISS assessment | 1 units | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | approved |
| November 2025 IISS assessment | 2 units | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | approved |
| November 2025 IISS assessment | 20 units | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | superseded |
| November 2025 IISS assessment | 150 units | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | superseded |
| November 2025 IISS assessment | 310 units | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | superseded |
| November 2025 IISS assessment | 120 units | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | superseded |
| November 2025 IISS assessment | 370 units | International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 144 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-01 · inventory date unstated | 6 units | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
No shared land boundary is represented in the Natural Earth dataset. Approximate separation between the dataset’s country label points: 1,900 km.
Generalized geography from Natural Earth 1:110m, version 5.1.1. Label-point distance is calculated on a sphere and rounded to the nearest 100 km; it is not a capital-to-capital distance, route, border distance or operational range. Dataset boundaries do not imply recognition of territorial claims.
Boundaries: Natural Earth 1:110m, v5.1.1 · Public domain · Research catalogue highlighted
Scores out of 100 on the ForceTally Index. Each bar splits in proportion to the two scores. A point at the centre of the chart means no sourced figure for that part.
Points represent sourced observations, including revisions. Revisions on the same effective date are not separate inventory events. Ranges appear in the table and are not plotted as exact points.
| Observation / report period | Value | Source | Claim state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source snapshot 2026-10-02 · inventory date unstated | 6 units | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-02 · inventory date unstated | 10 units | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-02 · inventory date unstated | 7 units | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-02 · inventory date unstated | 5 units | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-02 · inventory date unstated | 2 units | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-02 · inventory date unstated | ≥2 units | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-02 · inventory date unstated | 20 units | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-02 · inventory date unstated | 36 units | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-02 · inventory date unstated | 40 units | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
| Source snapshot 2026-10-02 · inventory date unstated | 2 units | Wikipedia contributors | approved |