Armed forces personnel, total in Australia
Australia: Armed forces personnel, total was 60,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel, total in Australia, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel, total in Australia stood at 60,000.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Australia peaked at 70,400 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 50,900, in 2002.
Australia ranks 64th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 70,200 | 70,000 | 70,400 | 2 |
| 1990s | 62,590 | 56,200 | 68,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 53,035 | 50,900 | 56,552 | 10 |
| 2010s | 57,400 | 56,200 | 59,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 60,000 | 60,000 | 60,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 62 Uzbekistan 68,000 compare
- 63 United Arab Emirates 63,000 compare
- 65 Singapore 59,000 compare
- 66 Turkmenistan 57,000 compare
- 67 South Sudan 53,000 compare
More public sector data for Australia
- Arms imports 983.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Tax revenue 23.6% (2022)
- Taxes on income, profits and capital gains 67.9% (2022)
- Taxes on goods and services 17.8% (2022)
- Net investment in nonfinancial assets 0.8% (2022)
- Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) -1.3% (2022)
- Interest payments 3.1% (2022)
- Grants and other revenue 11.5% (2022)
- Interest payments 3.0% (2022)
- Other taxes 0.2% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total in Australia?
- Armed forces personnel, total in Australia was 60,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 70,400 in 1985.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 50,900 in 2002.
- How does Australia rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- Australia ranks 64th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia 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.