Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Portugal
Portugal: Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled was 52,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Portugal, 1985–2020
Source: Statizoid (derived).
Analysis
Portugal recorded 52,000 for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is down 42.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Portugal peaked at 122,000 in 1994 and was at its lowest, 52,000, in 2017.
That places Portugal 68th 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 Portugal, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 73,000 | — |
| 1986 | 80,750 | +10.6% |
| 1987 | 88,500 | +9.6% |
| 1988 | 96,250 | +8.8% |
| 1989 | 104,000 | +8.1% |
| 1990 | 87,000 | -16.3% |
| 1991 | 86,000 | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 80,000 | -7.0% |
| 1993 | 68,000 | -15.0% |
| 1994 | 122,000 | +79.4% |
| 1995 | 104,000 | -14.8% |
| 1996 | 104,000 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 100,200 | -3.7% |
| 1998 | 94,500 | -5.7% |
| 1999 | 90,600 | -4.1% |
| 2000 | 90,500 | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 90,000 | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 90,000 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 92,600 | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 91,000 | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 93,000 | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 91,000 | -2.2% |
| 2007 | 91,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 91,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 91,040 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 90,334 | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 90,300 | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 90,300 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 79,850 | -11.6% |
| 2014 | 78,100 | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 73,600 | -5.8% |
| 2016 | 74,500 | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 52,000 | -30.2% |
| 2018 | 52,250 | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 52,000 | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 52,000 | +0.0% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 52,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 2.1× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 52,000 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26,500, 2.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Portugal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | +79.4% | 68,000 | 122,000 |
| 2017 | -30.2% | 74,500 | 52,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 88,500 | 73,000 | 104,000 | 5 |
| 1990s | 93,630 | 68,000 | 122,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 91,114 | 90,000 | 93,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 73,323 | 52,000 | 90,334 | 10 |
| 2020s | 52,000 | 52,000 | 52,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More public sector data for Portugal
- 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 7 (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 Portugal?
- Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Portugal was 52,000 in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 122,000 in 1994.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 52,000 in 2017.
- How does Portugal rank for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled?
- Portugal ranks 68th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 42.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Portugal 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.