Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)

Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income): Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled was 2.56 million in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
2.56 million
Change on year
down 1.5%
Rank
29th
of 43 groups
All-time high
2.61 million
in 2018
All-time low
1.19 million
in 1985
Years of data
36
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), 1985–2020

01.0M2.0M3.0M1985200220201985: 1.2M1986: 1.3M1987: 1.3M1988: 1.4M1989: 1.4M1990: 1.4M1991: 1.4M1992: 1.3M1993: 1.3M1994: 1.2M1995: 1.9M1996: 1.9M1997: 1.9M1998: 1.9M1999: 1.9M2000: 1.9M2001: 1.9M2002: 1.9M2003: 2.0M2004: 1.9M2005: 1.9M2006: 2.2M2007: 2.3M2008: 2.2M2009: 2.3M2010: 2.3M2011: 2.3M2012: 2.3M2013: 2.3M2014: 2.5M2015: 2.5M2016: 2.5M2017: 2.6M2018: 2.6M2019: 2.6M2020: 2.6M

Source: Statizoid (derived).

Analysis

Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) recorded 2.56 million for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and up 11.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) peaked at 2.61 million in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1.19 million, in 1985.

Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ranks 29th 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 Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), year by year

Annual values for Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), 1985 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1985 1.19 million
1986 1.25 million +5.3%
1987 1.32 million +5.1%
1988 1.38 million +4.8%
1989 1.44 million +4.6%
1990 1.44 million -0.1%
1991 1.42 million -1.4%
1992 1.30 million -8.4%
1993 1.30 million +0.0%
1994 1.24 million -5.1%
1995 1.92 million +55.0%
1996 1.95 million +1.5%
1997 1.94 million -0.6%
1998 1.91 million -1.3%
1999 1.89 million -1.2%
2000 1.91 million +1.3%
2001 1.92 million +0.5%
2002 1.93 million +0.2%
2003 1.96 million +1.9%
2004 1.92 million -2.1%
2005 1.92 million -0.2%
2006 2.15 million +12.3%
2007 2.25 million +4.7%
2008 2.24 million -0.7%
2009 2.29 million +2.1%
2010 2.29 million +0.0%
2011 2.29 million +0.2%
2012 2.31 million +0.9%
2013 2.32 million +0.6%
2014 2.46 million +5.7%
2015 2.48 million +1.0%
2016 2.49 million +0.5%
2017 2.57 million +2.9%
2018 2.61 million +1.9%
2019 2.60 million -0.7%
2020 2.56 million -1.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 1.32 million 1.19 million 1.44 million 5
1990s 1.63 million 1.24 million 1.95 million 10
2000s 2.05 million 1.91 million 2.29 million 10
2010s 2.44 million 2.29 million 2.61 million 10
2020s 2.56 million 2.56 million 2.56 million 1

Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)

  1. 26 Syrian Arab Republic 269,000 compare
  2. 27 Japan 261,000 compare
  3. 28 Morocco 246,000 compare
  4. 29 Bangladesh 227,000 compare
  5. 30 Nigeria 223,000 compare
  6. 31 Eritrea 202,000 compare
  7. 32 Spain 199,000 compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)

All data for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) was 2.56 million in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
The highest recorded value was 2.61 million in 2018.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
The lowest recorded value was 1.19 million in 1985.
How does Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) rank for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled?
Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ranks 29th out of 43 groups with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
Over the last ten years it is up 11.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 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 Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income). Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/armed-forces-personnel-total-gaps-filled/latin-america-and-caribbean-excluding-high-income/

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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.