Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Philippines
Philippines: Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled was 157,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Philippines, 1985–2020
Source: Statizoid (derived).
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Philippines stood at 157,000.
The figure is up 1.3% on the previous year and down 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Philippines peaked at 165,500 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 104,000, in 1994.
That places Philippines 40th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Philippines, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 114,800 | — |
| 1986 | 114,100 | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 113,400 | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 112,700 | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 112,000 | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 109,000 | -2.7% |
| 1991 | 107,000 | -1.8% |
| 1992 | 107,000 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 107,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 104,000 | -2.8% |
| 1995 | 149,000 | +43.3% |
| 1996 | 150,000 | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 153,000 | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 160,300 | +4.8% |
| 1999 | 152,500 | -4.9% |
| 2000 | 148,500 | -2.6% |
| 2001 | 151,000 | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 150,000 | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 150,000 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 146,000 | -2.7% |
| 2005 | 147,000 | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 147,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 147,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 147,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 165,500 | +12.6% |
| 2010 | 165,500 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 165,500 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 165,500 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 165,500 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 165,500 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 165,500 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 165,500 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 153,000 | -7.6% |
| 2018 | 153,350 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 155,000 | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 157,000 | +1.3% |
Philippines compared with similar countries
- Philippines's 157,000 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 64,000, 2.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Philippines's 157,000 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 146,500, 1.1× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Philippines 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 | +43.3% | 104,000 | 149,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 113,400 | 112,000 | 114,800 | 5 |
| 1990s | 129,880 | 104,000 | 160,300 | 10 |
| 2000s | 149,900 | 146,000 | 165,500 | 10 |
| 2010s | 161,985 | 153,000 | 165,500 | 10 |
| 2020s | 157,000 | 157,000 | 157,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Philippines
More public sector data for Philippines
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Democracy 6 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Philippines?
- Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Philippines was 157,000 in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Philippines?
- The highest recorded value was 165,500 in 2009.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Philippines?
- The lowest recorded value was 104,000 in 1994.
- How does Philippines rank for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled?
- Philippines ranks 40th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled rising or falling in Philippines?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Philippines 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.