Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Arab World

Arab World: Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled was 3.07 million in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
3.07 million
Change on year
up 5.9%
Rank
24th
of 43 groups
All-time high
3.60 million
in 2010
All-time low
2.22 million
in 1994
Years of data
36
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Arab World, 1985–2020

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M1985200220201985: 2.7M1986: 2.8M1987: 2.8M1988: 2.8M1989: 2.9M1990: 3.3M1991: 2.4M1992: 2.3M1993: 2.3M1994: 2.2M1995: 3.1M1996: 3.2M1997: 3.2M1998: 3.3M1999: 3.1M2000: 3.2M2001: 3.2M2002: 3.2M2003: 3.2M2004: 2.9M2005: 3.1M2006: 3.3M2007: 3.3M2008: 3.5M2009: 3.6M2010: 3.6M2011: 3.5M2012: 3.5M2013: 2.9M2014: 2.9M2015: 2.9M2016: 2.8M2017: 2.7M2018: 2.8M2019: 2.9M2020: 3.1M

Source: Statizoid (derived).

Analysis

The most recent figure for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Arab World is 3.07 million, measured in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.9% on the previous year and down 14.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Arab World peaked at 3.60 million in 2010 and was at its lowest, 2.22 million, in 1994.

Arab World ranks 24th of 43 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.

Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Arab World, year by year

Annual values for Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Arab World, 1985 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1985 2.71 million
1986 2.76 million +1.6%
1987 2.80 million +1.6%
1988 2.84 million +1.5%
1989 2.88 million +1.5%
1990 3.34 million +15.8%
1991 2.42 million -27.5%
1992 2.28 million -6.0%
1993 2.28 million +0.0%
1994 2.22 million -2.3%
1995 3.09 million +39.0%
1996 3.17 million +2.7%
1997 3.22 million +1.6%
1998 3.26 million +1.0%
1999 3.13 million -4.0%
2000 3.20 million +2.4%
2001 3.20 million -0.0%
2002 3.17 million -1.1%
2003 3.16 million -0.0%
2004 2.93 million -7.5%
2005 3.05 million +4.2%
2006 3.26 million +6.9%
2007 3.26 million +0.1%
2008 3.48 million +6.6%
2009 3.58 million +2.8%
2010 3.60 million +0.6%
2011 3.51 million -2.4%
2012 3.54 million +0.8%
2013 2.87 million -19.1%
2014 2.88 million +0.5%
2015 2.88 million -0.0%
2016 2.78 million -3.5%
2017 2.74 million -1.6%
2018 2.85 million +4.0%
2019 2.90 million +1.9%
2020 3.07 million +5.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 2.80 million 2.71 million 2.88 million 5
1990s 2.84 million 2.22 million 3.34 million 10
2000s 3.23 million 2.93 million 3.58 million 10
2010s 3.05 million 2.74 million 3.60 million 10
2020s 3.07 million 3.07 million 3.07 million 1

Countries ranked near Arab World

  1. 21 Algeria 326,000 compare
  2. 22 Sri Lanka 317,000 compare
  3. 23 France 304,000 compare
  4. 24 Ukraine 298,000 compare
  5. 25 Saudi Arabia 282,000 compare
  6. 26 Syrian Arab Republic 269,000 compare
  7. 27 Japan 261,000 compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for Arab World

All data for Arab World →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Arab World?
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Arab World was 3.07 million in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Arab World?
The highest recorded value was 3.60 million in 2010.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Arab World?
The lowest recorded value was 2.22 million in 1994.
How does Arab World rank for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled?
Arab World ranks 24th out of 43 groups with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled rising or falling in Arab World?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Arab World data come from?
The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Arab World. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/armed-forces-personnel-total-gaps-filled/arab-world/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page; please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/armed-forces-personnel-total-gaps-filled/arab-world/">Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Arab World</a> — Statizoid

How this figure is calculated

Armed forces personnel, total with 597 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.

Computed from

Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.

About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled
Source
Statizoid (derived)
Licence
Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage
219 places, 7,420 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

Armed forces personnel, total with 597 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.