Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Australia

Australia: Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled was 60,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
60,000
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
64th
of 173 countries
All-time high
70,400
in 1985
All-time low
50,900
in 2002
Years of data
36
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Australia, 1985–2020

020.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k1985200220201985: 70.4k1986: 70.3k1987: 70.2k1988: 70.1k1989: 70.0k1990: 68.0k1991: 68.0k1992: 68.0k1993: 68.0k1994: 65.0k1995: 57.1k1996: 58.8k1997: 58.4k1998: 58.4k1999: 56.2k2000: 51.6k2001: 51.7k2002: 50.9k2003: 53.6k2004: 52.0k2005: 53.0k2006: 51.0k2007: 55.0k2008: 55.0k2009: 56.6k2010: 56.6k2011: 57.0k2012: 56.2k2013: 56.8k2014: 56.8k2015: 57.8k2016: 57.8k2017: 58.0k2018: 58.1k2019: 59.0k2020: 60.0k

Source: Statizoid (derived).

Analysis

Australia recorded 60,000 for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 6.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Australia peaked at 70,400 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 50,900, in 2002.

Australia ranks 64th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Australia, 1985 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1985 70,400
1986 70,300 -0.1%
1987 70,200 -0.1%
1988 70,100 -0.1%
1989 70,000 -0.1%
1990 68,000 -2.9%
1991 68,000 +0.0%
1992 68,000 +0.0%
1993 68,000 +0.0%
1994 65,000 -4.4%
1995 57,100 -12.2%
1996 58,800 +3.0%
1997 58,400 -0.7%
1998 58,400 +0.0%
1999 56,200 -3.8%
2000 51,600 -8.2%
2001 51,700 +0.2%
2002 50,900 -1.5%
2003 53,600 +5.3%
2004 52,000 -3.0%
2005 53,000 +1.9%
2006 51,000 -3.8%
2007 55,000 +7.8%
2008 55,000 +0.0%
2009 56,552 +2.8%
2010 56,552 +0.0%
2011 57,050 +0.9%
2012 56,200 -1.5%
2013 56,750 +1.0%
2014 56,750 +0.0%
2015 57,800 +1.9%
2016 57,800 +0.0%
2017 58,000 +0.3%
2018 58,100 +0.2%
2019 59,000 +1.5%
2020 60,000 +1.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 70,200 70,000 70,400 5
1990s 62,590 56,200 68,000 10
2000s 53,035 50,900 56,552 10
2010s 57,400 56,200 59,000 10
2020s 60,000 60,000 60,000 1

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 62 Uzbekistan 68,000 compare
  2. 63 United Arab Emirates 63,000 compare
  3. 65 Singapore 59,000 compare
  4. 66 Turkmenistan 57,000 compare
  5. 67 South Sudan 53,000 compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Australia?
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Australia was 60,000 in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 70,400 in 1985.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 50,900 in 2002.
How does Australia rank for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled?
Australia ranks 64th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Australia 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.

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

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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.