Armed forces personnel, total in Arab World
Arab World: Armed forces personnel, total was 3.07 million in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total in Arab World, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
Arab World recorded 3.07 million for armed forces personnel, total in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.9% on the previous year and down 14.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Arab World peaked at 3.60 million in 2010 and was at its lowest, 2.22 million, in 1994.
Arab World ranks 25th of 46 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total in Arab World, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 2.71 million | — |
| 1989 | 2.88 million | +6.4% |
| 1990 | 3.34 million | +15.8% |
| 1991 | 2.42 million | -27.5% |
| 1992 | 2.28 million | -6.0% |
| 1993 | 2.28 million | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 2.22 million | -2.3% |
| 1995 | 3.09 million | +39.0% |
| 1996 | 3.17 million | +2.7% |
| 1997 | 3.22 million | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 3.26 million | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 3.13 million | -4.0% |
| 2000 | 3.20 million | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 3.20 million | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 3.17 million | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 3.16 million | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 2.93 million | -7.5% |
| 2005 | 3.05 million | +4.2% |
| 2006 | 3.26 million | +6.9% |
| 2007 | 3.26 million | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 3.48 million | +6.6% |
| 2009 | 3.58 million | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 3.60 million | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 3.51 million | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 3.54 million | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 2.87 million | -19.1% |
| 2014 | 2.88 million | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 2.88 million | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 2.78 million | -3.5% |
| 2017 | 2.74 million | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 2.85 million | +4.0% |
| 2019 | 2.90 million | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 3.07 million | +5.9% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total in Arab World 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +39.0% | 2.22 million | 3.09 million |
| 1991 | -27.5% | 3.34 million | 2.42 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.80 million | 2.71 million | 2.88 million | 2 |
| 1990s | 2.84 million | 2.22 million | 3.34 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.23 million | 2.93 million | 3.58 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.05 million | 2.74 million | 3.60 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.07 million | 3.07 million | 3.07 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near Arab World
More public sector data for Arab World
- Arms imports 5.04 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 10.23 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0013 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -29.95 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 5.04 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 276.83 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0364 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 4.05 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 136.37 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 549.21 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total in Arab World?
- Armed forces personnel, total in Arab World was 3.07 million in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Arab World?
- The highest recorded value was 3.60 million in 2010.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Arab World?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.22 million in 1994.
- How does Arab World rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- Arab World ranks 25th out of 46 groups with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Arab World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Arab World data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies, published as part of Armed forces personnel, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.