Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled was 153,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1985–2020
Source: Statizoid (derived).
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is 153,000, measured in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.7% on the previous year and down 12.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 334,000 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 148,000, in 2017.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 41st of 173 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 334,000 | — |
| 1986 | 330,000 | -1.2% |
| 1987 | 326,000 | -1.2% |
| 1988 | 322,000 | -1.2% |
| 1989 | 318,000 | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 308,000 | -3.1% |
| 1991 | 301,000 | -2.3% |
| 1992 | 293,000 | -2.7% |
| 1993 | 271,000 | -7.5% |
| 1994 | 257,000 | -5.2% |
| 1995 | 233,000 | -9.3% |
| 1996 | 221,000 | -5.2% |
| 1997 | 218,000 | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 218,000 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 218,000 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 212,500 | -2.5% |
| 2001 | 211,400 | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 210,400 | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 212,600 | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 205,000 | -3.6% |
| 2005 | 217,000 | +5.9% |
| 2006 | 181,000 | -16.6% |
| 2007 | 160,000 | -11.6% |
| 2008 | 160,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 178,470 | +11.5% |
| 2010 | 174,020 | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 165,650 | -4.8% |
| 2012 | 169,150 | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 159,150 | -5.9% |
| 2014 | 154,700 | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 152,350 | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 150,250 | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 148,000 | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 148,450 | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 149,000 | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 153,000 | +2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 326,000 | 318,000 | 334,000 | 5 |
| 1990s | 253,800 | 218,000 | 308,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 194,837 | 160,000 | 217,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 157,072 | 148,000 | 174,020 | 10 |
| 2020s | 153,000 | 153,000 | 153,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More public sector data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Arms imports 643.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 9.28 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0002 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 36.23 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 643.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 1,180 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0221 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 8.58 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 81.76 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 1,951 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 153,000 in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 334,000 in 1985.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 148,000 in 2017.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 41st out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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.