Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in France
France: Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled was 304,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in France, 1985–2020
Source: Statizoid (derived).
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in France stood at 304,000. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of down 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in France peaked at 554,000 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 304,000, in 2019.
That places France 23rd out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in France, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 464,300 | — |
| 1986 | 486,725 | +4.8% |
| 1987 | 509,150 | +4.6% |
| 1988 | 531,575 | +4.4% |
| 1989 | 554,000 | +4.2% |
| 1990 | 550,000 | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 542,000 | -1.5% |
| 1992 | 522,000 | -3.7% |
| 1993 | 506,000 | -3.1% |
| 1994 | 506,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 502,400 | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 491,300 | -2.2% |
| 1997 | 473,100 | -3.7% |
| 1998 | 452,200 | -4.4% |
| 1999 | 411,600 | -9.0% |
| 2000 | 389,400 | -5.4% |
| 2001 | 374,400 | -3.9% |
| 2002 | 361,800 | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 360,400 | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 358,000 | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 359,000 | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 354,000 | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 353,000 | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 353,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 341,967 | -3.1% |
| 2010 | 341,967 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 332,250 | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 325,600 | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 318,400 | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 312,350 | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 306,350 | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 306,100 | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 307,000 | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 304,800 | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 304,000 | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 304,000 | +0.0% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 304,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 12.2× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- France's 304,000 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26,500, 11.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 509,150 | 464,300 | 554,000 | 5 |
| 1990s | 495,660 | 411,600 | 550,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 360,497 | 341,967 | 389,400 | 10 |
| 2010s | 315,882 | 304,000 | 341,967 | 10 |
| 2020s | 304,000 | 304,000 | 304,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near France
More public sector data for France
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Democracy 7 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in France?
- Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in France was 304,000 in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 554,000 in 1989.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 304,000 in 2019.
- How does France rank for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled?
- France ranks 23rd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this France 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.
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
- Armed forces personnel, total The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies
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
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.