Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Ireland

Ireland: Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled was 9,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
9,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
136th
of 173 countries
All-time high
17,000
in 1994
All-time low
8,650
in 2018
Years of data
36
1985–2020

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

05.0k10.0k15.0k1985200220201985: 13.7k1986: 13.5k1987: 13.3k1988: 13.2k1989: 13.0k1990: 13.0k1991: 13.0k1992: 13.0k1993: 13.0k1994: 17.0k1995: 12.9k1996: 12.7k1997: 12.7k1998: 11.5k1999: 11.5k2000: 11.5k2001: 10.5k2002: 10.5k2003: 10.4k2004: 10.0k2005: 10.0k2006: 10.0k2007: 10.0k2008: 10.0k2009: 10.5k2010: 10.5k2011: 8.9k2012: 9.3k2013: 9.3k2014: 9.1k2015: 9.1k2016: 9.1k2017: 9.0k2018: 8.7k2019: 9.0k2020: 9.0k

Source: Statizoid (derived).

Analysis

In 2020, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Ireland stood at 9,000.

The figure is down 14.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Ireland peaked at 17,000 in 1994 and was at its lowest, 8,650, in 2018.

Ireland ranks 136th of 173 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

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

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

Annual values for Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Ireland, 1985 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1985 13,700
1986 13,525 -1.3%
1987 13,350 -1.3%
1988 13,175 -1.3%
1989 13,000 -1.3%
1990 13,000 +0.0%
1991 13,000 +0.0%
1992 13,000 +0.0%
1993 13,000 +0.0%
1994 17,000 +30.8%
1995 12,900 -24.1%
1996 12,700 -1.6%
1997 12,700 +0.0%
1998 11,500 -9.4%
1999 11,500 +0.0%
2000 11,500 +0.0%
2001 10,500 -8.7%
2002 10,500 +0.0%
2003 10,400 -1.0%
2004 10,000 -3.8%
2005 10,000 +0.0%
2006 10,000 +0.0%
2007 10,000 +0.0%
2008 10,000 +0.0%
2009 10,460 +4.6%
2010 10,460 +0.0%
2011 8,900 -14.9%
2012 9,350 +5.1%
2013 9,350 +0.0%
2014 9,100 -2.7%
2015 9,100 +0.0%
2016 9,100 +0.0%
2017 9,000 -1.1%
2018 8,650 -3.9%
2019 9,000 +4.0%
2020 9,000 +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 13,350 13,000 13,700 5
1990s 13,030 11,500 17,000 10
2000s 10,336 10,000 11,500 10
2010s 9,201 8,650 10,460 10
2020s 9,000 9,000 9,000 1

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 136 Botswana 9,000 compare
  2. 136 Latvia 9,000 compare
  3. 136 Sierra Leone 9,000 compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Ireland?
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Ireland was 9,000 in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 17,000 in 1994.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 8,650 in 2018.
How does Ireland rank for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled?
Ireland ranks 136th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ireland 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 Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/armed-forces-personnel-total-gaps-filled/ireland/

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/ireland/">Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Ireland</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.