Defence Ministry is world's biggest employer with 2.92 million people
What's the story
India's Ministry of Defence is the biggest employer in the world with nearly 2.92 million employees working in various positions, according to report published on Statista. The US Department of Defense, which employs 2.91 million people, comes second with China's People's Liberation Army at the third spot, according to a Statista infographic on employers with the greatest workforces globally in 2022.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The data comes at a time when the Defense Ministry is recruiting personnel under the contentious Agnipath Scheme. Although the new policy sparked demonstrations across the country, it cleared the door for enormous recruitment in Indian defense forces, which had been stalled for over two years. Notably, India's new defense budget of Rs. 5.25 lakh crore was just declared by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Details
What exactly did report say?
"At the top of the ranking for the world's largest employers is India's Ministry of Defence. Combining active service personnel, reservists, and civilian staff, the total headcount comes to 2.92 million - a touch ahead of the United States equivalent, the Department of Defense," the report said. Germany-based company Statista offers information and statistics on a range of global concerns.
China
China's PLA employs 2.5 million military personnel
According to Statista, China's PLA, which excludes civilian jobs, employs about 2.5 million people. It said the Central Military Commission, which is the Chinese counterpart of the U.S. Department of Defense, may have as many as 6.8 million people. However, the number was not credible enough to be included in this list.
Data
Employers other than government sector
Walmart is the biggest private company to employ the highest number of people in the world, said the report. "No company in the world has more employees than Walmart. The latest information from the US retail giant put the figure at a massive 2.3 million," it said. "Not even the behemoth that is Amazon comes close, despite being in second place."
Budget
Defense spending of various countries
Per reports, total global military spending was $2113 billion in 2021. The five greatest spenders in 2021, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), were the US, China, India, the UK, and Russia, accounting for 62% of total expenditure. In 2021, the United States spent $801 billion on defense, while China spent $293 billion and India spent $76.6 billion.