Colombia vs Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of: Armed forces personnel, total

Colombia
428,000
in 2020
Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
343,000
in 2020
Colombia rank
17th
Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of rank
18th

Armed forces personnel, total over time

  • Colombia
  • Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k500.0k198520022020

How they compare

Colombia currently reports 428,000 against 343,000 in Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of, a difference of 85,000.

That makes Colombia's figure about 1.2 times Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of's.

Across all 32 years both countries report, Colombia has been ahead every year.

Colombia ranks 17th and Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of ranks 18th of 173 countries.

Colombia has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Colombia Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Difference Ahead
1980s 78,600 62,000 16,600 Colombia
1990s 180,830 76,900 103,930 Colombia
2000s 334,736 100,433 234,303 Colombia
2010s 463,918 229,200 234,718 Colombia
2020s 428,000 343,000 85,000 Colombia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher armed forces personnel, total, Colombia or Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of?
Colombia, at 428,000 against 343,000 in Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of as of 2020.
What is the difference in armed forces personnel, total between Colombia and Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of?
85,000, with Colombia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Colombia and Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of?
32 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
How do Colombia and Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of rank globally for armed forces personnel, total?
Colombia ranks 17th and Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of ranks 18th of 173 countries.
Where does this data come from?
The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies, published as Armed forces personnel, total. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Colombia vs Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of: Armed forces personnel, total. Statizoid, drawing on The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Retrieved 19 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/compare/armed-forces-personnel-total/colombia/venezuela-rb/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://public-sector.statizoid.com/compare/armed-forces-personnel-total/colombia/venezuela-rb/">Colombia vs Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of: Armed forces personnel, total</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel, total
Source
The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
219 places, 6,823 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.