Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled was 4.83 million in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1985–2020
Source: Statizoid (derived).
Analysis
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan recorded 4.83 million for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 5.45 million in 2010 and was at its lowest, 3.47 million, in 1994.
That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 15th 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 3.87 million | — |
| 1986 | 3.93 million | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 4.00 million | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 4.06 million | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 4.13 million | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 4.45 million | +7.8% |
| 1991 | 3.61 million | -19.0% |
| 1992 | 3.51 million | -2.6% |
| 1993 | 3.51 million | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 3.47 million | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 4.88 million | +40.7% |
| 1996 | 5.13 million | +5.1% |
| 1997 | 5.20 million | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 5.14 million | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 5.15 million | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 5.25 million | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 4.69 million | -10.6% |
| 2002 | 4.78 million | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 4.83 million | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 4.37 million | -9.4% |
| 2005 | 4.62 million | +5.6% |
| 2006 | 4.99 million | +7.9% |
| 2007 | 4.84 million | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 5.10 million | +5.4% |
| 2009 | 5.36 million | +5.1% |
| 2010 | 5.45 million | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 5.26 million | -3.5% |
| 2012 | 5.27 million | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 4.60 million | -12.8% |
| 2014 | 4.56 million | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 4.58 million | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 4.62 million | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 4.57 million | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 4.73 million | +3.4% |
| 2019 | 4.79 million | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 4.83 million | +0.9% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +40.7% | 3.47 million | 4.88 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4.00 million | 3.87 million | 4.13 million | 5 |
| 1990s | 4.41 million | 3.47 million | 5.20 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.88 million | 4.37 million | 5.36 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.84 million | 4.56 million | 5.45 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.83 million | 4.83 million | 4.83 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
More public sector data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- Arms imports 6.14 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 7.55 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0012 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -41.52 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 6.14 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 246.67 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0393 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 15.09 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 200.58 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 831.08 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 4.83 million in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 5.45 million in 2010.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.47 million in 1994.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 15th out of 43 groups with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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.