Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Portugal

Portugal: Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled was 52,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
52,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
68th
of 173 countries
All-time high
122,000
in 1994
All-time low
52,000
in 2017
Years of data
36
1985–2020

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

025.0k50.0k75.0k100.0k125.0k1985200220201985: 73.0k1986: 80.8k1987: 88.5k1988: 96.2k1989: 104.0k1990: 87.0k1991: 86.0k1992: 80.0k1993: 68.0k1994: 122.0k1995: 104.0k1996: 104.0k1997: 100.2k1998: 94.5k1999: 90.6k2000: 90.5k2001: 90.0k2002: 90.0k2003: 92.6k2004: 91.0k2005: 93.0k2006: 91.0k2007: 91.0k2008: 91.0k2009: 91.0k2010: 90.3k2011: 90.3k2012: 90.3k2013: 79.8k2014: 78.1k2015: 73.6k2016: 74.5k2017: 52.0k2018: 52.2k2019: 52.0k2020: 52.0k

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

Annual values for Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Portugal, 1985 to 2020.
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%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 65 Singapore 59,000 compare
  2. 66 Turkmenistan 57,000 compare
  3. 67 South Sudan 53,000 compare
  4. 69 Zimbabwe 51,000 compare
  5. 70 Tunisia 48,000 compare
  6. 71 Armenia 47,000 compare
  7. 71 Oman 47,000 compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for Portugal

All data for Portugal →

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.

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Portugal. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/armed-forces-personnel-total-gaps-filled/portugal/

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/portugal/">Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Portugal</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.