Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled was 282,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Saudi Arabia, 1985–2020
Source: Statizoid (derived).
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Saudi Arabia is 282,000, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 11.9% on the previous year and up 13.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Saudi Arabia peaked at 282,000 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 62,500, in 1985.
That places Saudi Arabia 25th 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 Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 62,500 | — |
| 1986 | 67,375 | +7.8% |
| 1987 | 72,250 | +7.2% |
| 1988 | 77,125 | +6.7% |
| 1989 | 82,000 | +6.3% |
| 1990 | 146,000 | +78.0% |
| 1991 | 191,000 | +30.8% |
| 1992 | 172,000 | -9.9% |
| 1993 | 172,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 164,000 | -4.7% |
| 1995 | 177,500 | +8.2% |
| 1996 | 178,500 | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 178,000 | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 178,000 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 178,000 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 217,000 | +21.9% |
| 2001 | 217,200 | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 215,000 | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 215,000 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 214,000 | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 216,000 | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 240,000 | +11.1% |
| 2007 | 238,000 | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 238,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 249,000 | +4.6% |
| 2010 | 249,000 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 249,000 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 249,000 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 251,500 | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 251,500 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 251,500 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 251,500 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 252,000 | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 252,000 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 252,000 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 282,000 | +11.9% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 282,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 11.3× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 282,000 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 80,000, 3.5× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Saudi Arabia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | +78.0% | 82,000 | 146,000 |
| 1991 | +30.8% | 146,000 | 191,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 72,250 | 62,500 | 82,000 | 5 |
| 1990s | 173,500 | 146,000 | 191,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 225,920 | 214,000 | 249,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 250,900 | 249,000 | 252,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 282,000 | 282,000 | 282,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More public sector data for Saudi Arabia
- Democracy 0 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 0 (2025)
- Elected parliament 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 0 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 0 (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice 0 (2025)
- Arms imports 1.11 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 31.47 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0009 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Saudi Arabia?
- Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Saudi Arabia was 282,000 in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 282,000 in 2020.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 62,500 in 1985.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 25th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.