Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Netherlands

Netherlands: Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled was 41,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
41,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
79th
of 173 countries
All-time high
106,000
in 1989
All-time low
41,000
in 2007
Years of data
36
1985–2020

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

025.0k50.0k75.0k100.0k1985200220201985: 105.5k1986: 105.6k1987: 105.8k1988: 105.9k1989: 106.0k1990: 104.0k1991: 104.0k1992: 90.0k1993: 86.0k1994: 77.0k1995: 78.0k1996: 66.7k1997: 60.8k1998: 60.8k1999: 60.0k2000: 57.1k2001: 55.6k2002: 52.9k2003: 59.9k2004: 53.0k2005: 60.0k2006: 46.0k2007: 41.0k2008: 47.0k2009: 43.3k2010: 43.3k2011: 43.3k2012: 43.3k2013: 43.3k2014: 41.9k2015: 41.3k2016: 41.3k2017: 41.0k2018: 41.4k2019: 41.0k2020: 41.0k

Source: Statizoid (derived).

Analysis

In 2020, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Netherlands stood at 41,000. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Netherlands peaked at 106,000 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 41,000, in 2007.

That places Netherlands 79th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

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

Annual values for Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Netherlands, 1985 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1985 105,500
1986 105,625 +0.1%
1987 105,750 +0.1%
1988 105,875 +0.1%
1989 106,000 +0.1%
1990 104,000 -1.9%
1991 104,000 +0.0%
1992 90,000 -13.5%
1993 86,000 -4.4%
1994 77,000 -10.5%
1995 78,000 +1.3%
1996 66,700 -14.5%
1997 60,800 -8.8%
1998 60,780 -0.0%
1999 60,000 -1.3%
2000 57,100 -4.8%
2001 55,600 -2.6%
2002 52,900 -4.9%
2003 59,900 +13.2%
2004 53,000 -11.5%
2005 60,000 +13.2%
2006 46,000 -23.3%
2007 41,000 -10.9%
2008 47,000 +14.6%
2009 43,279 -7.9%
2010 43,279 +0.0%
2011 43,300 +0.0%
2012 43,300 +0.0%
2013 43,300 +0.0%
2014 41,900 -3.2%
2015 41,310 -1.4%
2016 41,310 +0.0%
2017 41,000 -0.8%
2018 41,410 +1.0%
2019 41,000 -1.0%
2020 41,000 +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 105,750 105,500 106,000 5
1990s 78,728 60,000 104,000 10
2000s 51,578 41,000 60,000 10
2010s 42,111 41,000 43,300 10
2020s 41,000 41,000 41,000 1

Countries ranked near Netherlands

  1. 76 Guatemala 43,000 compare
  2. 77 Ecuador 42,000 compare
  3. 77 El Salvador 42,000 compare
  4. 79 Mali 41,000 compare
  5. 81 Yemen 40,000 compare
  6. 82 Bulgaria 37,000 compare
  7. 82 Lithuania 37,000 compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for Netherlands

All data for Netherlands →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Netherlands?
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Netherlands was 41,000 in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Netherlands?
The highest recorded value was 106,000 in 1989.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Netherlands?
The lowest recorded value was 41,000 in 2007.
How does Netherlands rank for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled?
Netherlands ranks 79th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled rising or falling in Netherlands?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Netherlands 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 Netherlands. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/armed-forces-personnel-total-gaps-filled/netherlands/

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/netherlands/">Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Netherlands</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.