Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in World
World: Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled was 27.41 million in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in World, 1985–2020
Source: Statizoid (derived).
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in World stood at 27.41 million.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in World peaked at 30.20 million in 1996 and was at its lowest, 22.21 million, in 1985.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in World, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 22.21 million | — |
| 1986 | 22.73 million | +2.4% |
| 1987 | 23.25 million | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 23.78 million | +2.2% |
| 1989 | 24.30 million | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 23.92 million | -1.6% |
| 1991 | 22.73 million | -5.0% |
| 1992 | 24.53 million | +8.0% |
| 1993 | 23.74 million | -3.2% |
| 1994 | 23.20 million | -2.3% |
| 1995 | 30.18 million | +30.1% |
| 1996 | 30.20 million | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 29.86 million | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 29.93 million | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 29.58 million | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 29.35 million | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 28.21 million | -3.9% |
| 2002 | 28.31 million | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 28.16 million | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 27.08 million | -3.8% |
| 2005 | 28.54 million | +5.4% |
| 2006 | 27.03 million | -5.3% |
| 2007 | 27.25 million | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 27.49 million | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 27.92 million | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 28.13 million | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 28.02 million | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 28.15 million | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 27.21 million | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 27.31 million | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 27.44 million | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 27.54 million | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 27.41 million | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 27.65 million | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 27.67 million | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 27.41 million | -1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 23.25 million | 22.21 million | 24.30 million | 5 |
| 1990s | 26.79 million | 22.73 million | 30.20 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 27.94 million | 27.03 million | 29.35 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.65 million | 27.21 million | 28.15 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.41 million | 27.41 million | 27.41 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near World
- 1 India 3.07 million compare
- 2 China 2.54 million compare
- 3 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 1.47 million compare
- 4 Russian Federation 1.45 million compare
More public sector data for World
- Arms imports 28.82 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 3.54 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0003 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -2.86 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 28.82 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 325.74 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0237 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 11.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 2.65 trillion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 228.6 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in World?
- Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in World was 27.41 million in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 30.20 million in 1996.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.21 million in 1985.
- How does World rank for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled?
- World ranks 1st out of 3 groups with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this World 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.