Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled was 317,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Sri Lanka, 1985–2020
Source: Statizoid (derived).
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 317,000 for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in 2020. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 42.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Sri Lanka peaked at 317,000 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 21,600, in 1985.
Sri Lanka ranks 22nd of 173 countries on this measure, 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 Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 21,600 | — |
| 1986 | 21,700 | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 21,800 | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 21,900 | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 22,000 | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 22,000 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 110,000 | +400.0% |
| 1992 | 110,000 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 110,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 110,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 235,500 | +114.1% |
| 1996 | 225,200 | -4.4% |
| 1997 | 227,200 | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 225,200 | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 218,300 | -3.1% |
| 2000 | 203,600 | -6.7% |
| 2001 | 209,600 | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 246,500 | +17.6% |
| 2003 | 240,900 | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 239,000 | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 200,000 | -16.3% |
| 2006 | 213,000 | +6.5% |
| 2007 | 213,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 213,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 223,100 | +4.7% |
| 2010 | 223,100 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 223,100 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 223,100 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 223,100 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 223,100 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 265,200 | +18.9% |
| 2016 | 305,200 | +15.1% |
| 2017 | 317,000 | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 317,000 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 317,000 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 317,000 | +0.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 317,000 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 64,000, 5.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 317,000 is above the median for South Asia, which is 227,000, 1.4× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Sri Lanka 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +400.0% | 22,000 | 110,000 |
| 1995 | +114.1% | 110,000 | 235,500 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 21,800 | 21,600 | 22,000 | 5 |
| 1990s | 159,340 | 22,000 | 235,500 | 10 |
| 2000s | 220,170 | 200,000 | 246,500 | 10 |
| 2010s | 263,690 | 223,100 | 317,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 317,000 | 317,000 | 317,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More public sector data for Sri Lanka
- 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)
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- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
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Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Sri Lanka?
- Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Sri Lanka was 317,000 in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 317,000 in 2017.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 21,600 in 1985.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled?
- Sri Lanka ranks 22nd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 42.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.