Military profile
Taiwan Military Strength
Taiwan ranks #23 of 145 in the Global Firepower military strength ranking, with 170,000 active personnel.
Taiwan armed forces in numbers
Personnel
- Active military personnel
- 170,000#30 of 145
- Reserve military personnel
- 1,500,000#2 of 145
- Paramilitary forces
- 11,500#63 of 145
- Army personnel
- 100,000#35 of 145
- Air force personnel
- 35,000#22 of 145
- Navy personnel
- 40,000#18 of 145
Air power
- Total military aircraft
- 737#14 of 145
- Fighter aircraft
- 285#8 of 145
- Attack aircraft
- 0#65 of 145
- Military helicopters
- 207#20 of 145
- Attack helicopters
- 91#8 of 145
Land forces
- Tanks
- 1,012#22 of 145
- Self-propelled artillery
- 272#22 of 145
- Towed artillery
- 1,760#11 of 145
- Rocket artillery
- 115#36 of 145
Naval power
- Aircraft carriers
- 0#8 of 113
- Destroyers
- 4#10 of 113
- Frigates
- 22#2 of 113
- Corvettes
- 2#32 of 113
- Submarines
- 4#26 of 113
- Patrol vessels
- 43#22 of 113
- Mine warfare vessels
- 14#8 of 113
Finance
- Purchasing power parity (GDP, PPP)
- $1.15 trillion#22 of 145
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
Armed forces of Taiwan
Branches and forces
Taiwan Armed Forces: Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force, Information Communication and Electronic Force (ICEF) Ocean Affairs Council: Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Ministry of Interior: National Police (2025)
Personnel
approximately 170,000 active duty Armed Forces (2025)
Service age and conscription
men 18-36 years of age may volunteer or must complete 12 months of compulsory military service; civil service can be substituted for military service in some cases; women can volunteer (2025)
Equipment and suppliers
the military's inventory is a mix of domestically produced and foreign-supplied armaments, mostly from the US either as secondhand or direct acquisitions; Taiwan's domestic defense industry produces weapons systems such as aircraft, armored vehicles, missiles, and naval platforms (2025)
Good to know
the military's primary responsibility is external security, including the defense and protection of the country's air space, maritime claims, sea lines of communications, sovereignty, and territory; its main focus is the challenge posed by the People's Republic of China (2025)
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
2024: 2.4% · 2023: 2.5% · 2022: 2.1% · 2021: 2.1% · 2020: 2.1%
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).