The three countries with the most police in the world

1. China

China has the largest number of police officers in the world, with approximately 1.6 million officers. The main law enforcement unit in China is the Ministry of Public Security, which has established several public security bureaus that are headed by the Minister of Public Security and headquartered in Beijing. Another police unit in China is the People's Armed Police, a paramilitary police force responsible for maintaining public safety and order, and the People's Armed Police Force was officially established by the Chinese government in 1982.

2. India

India is home to the second largest police force in the world based on the number of police officers. The total number of police officers in this densely populated country is estimated to be about 1.59 million, and law enforcement in India is primarily handled by the Indian Police Force, which is part of the Union Home Ministry. The country's police force is made up of many units, all of which perform peace keeping duties in different capacities.

3. United States

The United States has the third largest police force in the world, the largest of any country outside of Asia. There are over 910,000 police officers in the U.S. The U.S. police have the authority under the U.S. Constitution to maintain and restore peace within the nation's borders. The U.S. police force is made up of two categories: federal police and state police. Federal police are established and administered by the federal government and have authority throughout the country, while state police are established and administered by the state governments and their authority is limited to their respective states.

Ratio of police to population

While the countries mentioned above (China, India and the United States) have the highest number of police officers, a higher number does not necessarily mean a high police-to-civilian ratio. The United Nations sets the median number of police officers in the world at 300 officers per 100,000 civilians. The Vatican has the highest ratio, with 15,439 police officers per 100,000 civilians.