Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled was 2.74 million in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Latin America & Caribbean, 1985–2020
Source: Statizoid (derived).
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Latin America & Caribbean is 2.74 million, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of down 1.7% on the previous year and up 12.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 2.80 million in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1.36 million, in 1985.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 26th out of 43 groups with data for 2020, putting it 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, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1.36 million | — |
| 1986 | 1.42 million | +4.3% |
| 1987 | 1.48 million | +4.2% |
| 1988 | 1.53 million | +4.0% |
| 1989 | 1.59 million | +3.8% |
| 1990 | 1.59 million | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 1.56 million | -1.5% |
| 1992 | 1.44 million | -7.7% |
| 1993 | 1.44 million | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1.39 million | -3.9% |
| 1995 | 2.11 million | +52.5% |
| 1996 | 2.14 million | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 2.13 million | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 2.10 million | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 2.08 million | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 2.10 million | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 2.11 million | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 2.11 million | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 2.14 million | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 2.07 million | -3.3% |
| 2005 | 2.08 million | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 2.29 million | +10.0% |
| 2007 | 2.41 million | +5.6% |
| 2008 | 2.40 million | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 2.44 million | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 2.44 million | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 2.45 million | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 2.47 million | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 2.48 million | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 2.62 million | +5.5% |
| 2015 | 2.66 million | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 2.68 million | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 2.76 million | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 2.80 million | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 2.79 million | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 2.74 million | -1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.48 million | 1.36 million | 1.59 million | 5 |
| 1990s | 1.80 million | 1.39 million | 2.14 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.21 million | 2.07 million | 2.44 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.62 million | 2.44 million | 2.80 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.74 million | 2.74 million | 2.74 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
More public sector data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Arms imports 644.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.9725 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0001 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 67.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 644.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 110.81 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0104 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 10.62 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 73.38 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 19.2 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Latin America & Caribbean was 2.74 million in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 2.80 million in 2018.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.36 million in 1985.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 26th out of 43 groups with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean 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.