Armed forces personnel, total in Belarus
Belarus: Armed forces personnel, total was 158,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total in Belarus, 1992–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
Belarus recorded 158,000 for armed forces personnel, total in 2020.
That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and down 13.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Belarus peaked at 192,900 in 2001 and was at its lowest, 65,000, in 1994.
Belarus ranks 38th of 173 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total in Belarus, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 102,000 | — |
| 1993 | 115,000 | +12.7% |
| 1994 | 65,000 | -43.5% |
| 1995 | 106,400 | +63.7% |
| 1996 | 93,500 | -12.1% |
| 1997 | 89,800 | -4.0% |
| 1998 | 91,000 | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 103,900 | +14.2% |
| 2000 | 91,100 | -12.3% |
| 2001 | 192,900 | +111.7% |
| 2002 | 189,800 | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 182,900 | -3.6% |
| 2004 | 182,000 | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 183,000 | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 183,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 183,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 183,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 182,940 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 182,940 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 158,000 | -13.6% |
| 2012 | 158,000 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 158,000 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 158,000 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 158,000 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 155,350 | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 155,000 | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 155,350 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 155,000 | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 158,000 | +1.9% |
Belarus compared with similar countries
- Belarus's 158,000 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 64,000, 2.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Belarus's 158,000 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26,500, 6.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total in Belarus 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +111.7% | 91,100 | 192,900 |
| 1995 | +63.7% | 65,000 | 106,400 |
| 1994 | -43.5% | 115,000 | 65,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 95,825 | 65,000 | 115,000 | 8 |
| 2000s | 175,364 | 91,100 | 192,900 | 10 |
| 2010s | 159,364 | 155,000 | 182,940 | 10 |
| 2020s | 158,000 | 158,000 | 158,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Belarus
- 35 Germany 183,000 compare
- 36 Israel 178,000 compare
- 37 Afghanistan 165,000 compare
- 38 Peru 158,000 compare
- 40 Philippines 157,000 compare
- 41 United Kingdom 153,000 compare
More public sector data for Belarus
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, 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)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Democracy 1 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total in Belarus?
- Armed forces personnel, total in Belarus was 158,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Belarus?
- The highest recorded value was 192,900 in 2001.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Belarus?
- The lowest recorded value was 65,000 in 1994.
- How does Belarus rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- Belarus ranks 38th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Belarus?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belarus 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.