Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in North America
North America: Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled was 1.47 million in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in North America, 1985–2020
Source: Statizoid (derived).
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in North America stood at 1.47 million.
That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and down 10.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in North America peaked at 2.33 million in 1989 and was at its lowest, 1.41 million, in 2015.
That places North America 34th out of 43 groups with data for 2020, putting it 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 North America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 2.23 million | — |
| 1986 | 2.26 million | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 2.28 million | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 2.30 million | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 2.33 million | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 2.27 million | -2.6% |
| 1991 | 2.21 million | -2.7% |
| 1992 | 2.00 million | -9.2% |
| 1993 | 1.90 million | -5.3% |
| 1994 | 1.79 million | -5.3% |
| 1995 | 1.71 million | -4.7% |
| 1996 | 1.65 million | -3.5% |
| 1997 | 1.61 million | -2.8% |
| 1998 | 1.66 million | +3.6% |
| 1999 | 1.64 million | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 1.52 million | -7.4% |
| 2001 | 1.49 million | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 1.53 million | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 1.54 million | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 1.54 million | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 1.62 million | +4.7% |
| 2006 | 1.56 million | -3.4% |
| 2007 | 1.62 million | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 1.60 million | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 1.63 million | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 1.64 million | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 1.59 million | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 1.56 million | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 1.50 million | -3.8% |
| 2014 | 1.45 million | -3.2% |
| 2015 | 1.41 million | -2.5% |
| 2016 | 1.42 million | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 1.43 million | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 1.45 million | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 1.46 million | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 1.47 million | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.28 million | 2.23 million | 2.33 million | 5 |
| 1990s | 1.84 million | 1.61 million | 2.27 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.57 million | 1.49 million | 1.63 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.49 million | 1.41 million | 1.64 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.47 million | 1.47 million | 1.47 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near North America
More public sector data for North America
- Arms imports 1.36 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 3.56 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 56.45 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 1.36 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 2,692 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0325 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 8.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 1.03 trillion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 48.39 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in North America?
- Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in North America was 1.47 million in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in North America?
- The highest recorded value was 2.33 million in 1989.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.41 million in 2015.
- How does North America rank for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled?
- North America ranks 34th out of 43 groups with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North America 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.